Prentiss's Find
by FotoBridgeT2
Summary: While on a case Emily makes a startling discovery which changes her life completely. not part of my other series. Hotch and Prentiss romance...
1. Chapter 1

(Changed the time line on this to put it about three months after s3 finale--and I blew up Hotch, making him slightly hearing impaired...enjoy)

It started out as any other normal day for Emily. She placed her coffee on the corner of her desk, spent a few minutes mindlessly flirting with Morgan, chattered easily with JJ and Garcia, laughing once again about the worst pickup artist—Brad, the real FBI agent. More than a year after the fact, and the incident was still the subject of many discussions between the three women.

What a joke.

The day rapidly deteriorated, ending with her, Hotch, and Rossi standing outside a large, run-down bungalow in the midst of down town St. Louis.

"You sure this is the place?" She asked, resigned. She didn't want to admit it, but something about the building just curled her stomach.

"St. Louis Missionaries shelter, temporary home to displaced women and children." The local police officer said, his tone remarkably unaffected. He'd been here before; it was nothing new. "Holds up to anywhere between sixty to one twenty at any given time. Might want to watch your step, ma'am."

"Great." Emily muttered. She hated being called _ma'am._ Made her feel older than her thirty-six years. And the man calling her ma'am—had to be a good half dozen years older than she. "So what are we hoping to find here?"

"There's a few kids, runaways mostly, who frequent the area down by the river. Odds are if you're guy hid the bodies, one of them has seen somethin'."

"A bunch of kids? Will they talk to us?" Hotch asked, putting himself directly beside Emily. This wasn't exactly the best area of the city, and statistically, a woman was just more vulnerable—even a law enforcement officer.

"A few. Trick is to go slow, don't spook them. And whatever you do, don't touch them. Mighty skittish." Officer Randall opened the door to the shelter then moved aside to let Emily pass first. Any other time she'd have appreciated his old-fashioned courtesy, but today she just wanted the day to end. "There's a few here we should talk to."

"Ok, how do we want to do this?" Hotch asked, looking out-of-place in his neatly pressed suit and his exactly tied tie. He fairly shouted government, and the residents were eyeing him suspiciously. Rossi was nearly as imposing, though he'd forgone the tie.

"Best if I do most of the talking, me and Agent Prentiss. Kids here are a little more open with women." Randall explained, leading the way to a large rec room. "There's a couple of offices we can use."

"Rossi, you go with Officer Randall." Hotch said. Since the New York case, and the resulting damage to his hearing, he'd found himself working alongside the dark-haired woman more and more. She just seemed more open to letting him deal with things in his own way. To not judging him, not constantly evaluating him. The one not counting on him, the one who still seemed to trust his judgment, his leadership. Even when he'd doubted it himself. He still had partial hearing in both ears, but it would never be completely the same. He'd just have to learn to function with it, and Prentiss seemed to be the one who understood that the best.

The three BAU agents followed the officer around the rec room, stopping only by a bank of offices in the back corner. Hotch had just entered the first office when a loud shout had them all turning.

"Aunt Emily!" A small dark-headed fury barreled into Emily from the side, sending her sprawling to the ground. Hotch and Rossi, as well as Officer Randall, reached for their weapons, shock and instinct immediately taking over.

Emily just sat on the floor, uncertain _who _was wrapped around her neck, though she had a sneaking suspicion. She managed to pull the child back slightly and looked down into eyes the same dark color as her own. "Cody?"

"I knew you'd find me, I knew you'd find me!" The twelve year old repeated, her face covered with tears and streaks of dirt.

"Cody, stop crying. Now." Emily ordered firmly, pulling the child back even further, taking in the ragged, too small clothes the girl wore.

"K, what took you so long?"

Hotch and Rossi were completely stumped at seeing their colleague sprawled on the floor with a child wrapped around her. Hotch knew very well that Emily didn't have any nieces, so to hear the child call her aunt completely perplexed him.

"Honey, why are you here? Why aren't you in California?" Emily asked, rising from the floor with a hand up from Rossi. "Where's your mother?"

"Don't know, don't give a damn. I was on my way to be with you." The kid shrugged a shoulder, the action so filled with false bravado that Hotch—and the other three people in the room—knew immediately that the kid was hiding something.

"Cody—how long have you been on your way to me?" Emily asked sharply. She leaned down, almost eye-to-eye with the kid.

"Don't know, since April I guess, what month is it?" The child asked, as the older woman turned green.

"It's August." Hotch said hoarsely, appalled that the girl had apparently been on the streets that long.

"Thanks, mister. So I've been making my way to Virginia for four months. Why? Didn't Aunt Elizabeth tell you?"

"My mother knew you were coming to me?" Emily asked, appalled.

"I called her. Told her I wanted to talk to you. She said you were away with your job and if I wanted to talk to you I could just come see you."

"Oh my god." Emily rubbed her eyes with one hand, clinging tightly to the child with the other. "But why? Why aren't you with your mother? I put you on a plane myself eight months ago."

"Mom's a bitch, Em. She didn't want me around, her or Rodney."

"Who?"

"Mom's boyfriend. Funny, she calls him that, he's at least fifty. Dude got grabby. I told my mom, she told me stop lying. If I didn't like how Rodney did things I could leave. So I split." The kid shrugged again, looking away from the adults staring at her. She almost didn't seem aware of the men's presence focusing only on Emily. "I called you, but you didn't answer, so I called Aunt Elizabeth. I had enough money for a bus ticket through the dessert. Been making tracks this way ever since. But I knew you'd eventually find me."

Her words rang with an unquestioned faith and trust and Emily visibly swallowed. "Have you spoken to your mother since you split?"

"Once, I called her to make sure it was DC where you were. She wouldn't tell me, said that finding you was my problem. Said you'd told her you didn't care, either, that I wasn't your problem."

"Oh, honey." Emily ignored her colleagues and wrapped the little girl in her arms and just held her. "I've spoken to your mother but she never told me you were gone. If she had I would have found you weeks ago!"

"So I can stay with you? I'm not going back to her, Emily. I'm not."

Emily didn't answer, merely looked at Hotch with a completely bewildered look in her eyes. What was she supposed to do now?

Hotch stared at the two dark-haired females. This was a turn he would never have expected. "Agent Prentiss, would you like to introduce us?"

"Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi, this is my cousin, Cody Prentiss. Her father was my first cousin. Cody, this is Agent Hotchner and Rossi, they're my supervisors at the BAU."

The girl eyed them suspiciously, her fist tightening in the material of Prentiss's shirt.

"Her father _was _your cousin?" Rossi asked softly, catching on her distinction.

"He died and I went to live with my mom." The twelve year old seemed to know what he was asking. "Aunt Emily stayed with me until after the funeral."

"So you lived with your father where?" Hotch asked, moving closer to hear.

"DC. My mom left when I was like four. I hadn't seen her since, until after Daddy's funeral."

"Cody, I'm going to have to call your mother." Emily said, "Find out why she didn't tell me."

"No! I don't want to go back to her! Please, Emily, please, please. I'll be good! You won't even know I am there!"

"Calm down. You're not going anywhere. But I _have _to talk to her. Find out why. We'll work this out, I promise." Emily turned the girl to face her. "But right now, Agent Hotchner, Rossi, and I have a big job to do. I need you to promise me you'll stay right here until we're done. Then you and I will go back to my hotel and have a big, long talk. Ok?"

"Ok. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Hotch knew Prentiss's mind wouldn't be focused on the job at hand, with such a shocking family crisis. But like the local officer had said, people at this place wouldn't open up to him or Rossi easily. They needed her. But not as much as the little girl clinging to her.

It made Hotch nearly sick to think of such a small, delicate little girl going cross-country all alone. He could only imagine how Prentiss was feeling. But it didn't show on her face; the dark eyes were certainly more clouded than normal.

"Prentiss, I can't let her be here during the middle of an investigation." He told her, wrapping one hand around the arm not draped over the child. Pulling her closer so he could hear whatever she replied. "You should take her back to the hotel. Make whatever calls necessary, get her situation ironed out. We can handle any interviews here."

"Beggin' your pardon, Agent Hotchner, but if she leaves and takes the girl with her, you'll be faced with nothing but mistrust. No offense, but you look like you could all be Social Services, you get my drift?" Officer Randall said, pulling the supervisor's attention his way with a touch of a hand. Hotch had told the man his hearing had been damaged.

"I won't be in the way." The girl said. "Besides, what do you want to know?"

"How long have you been coming here?" Hotch asked, struck by the resemblance between the two females, although the blood connection was distant. The girl's hair and eyes were equally as dark, though the shape was decidedly different, the skin the same pale cream. But it was more than that—the carriage, the build, even the tones of the voices were similar, although the girl's was obviously a child's voice.

"Month, little more. I guess. I don't keep track of time." The girl wrapped her hand tightly around Emily's, looking suspiciously up at the three men surrounding them. "It was cold and I didn't have any money. So I stayed here."

"We're looking for some people who have disappeared." Hotch began, taking a step forward. The little girl moved closer to her cousin's side.

"Tracy and Spike." Cody said, decisively. "A few others."

"Cody, what do you know, honey?" Emily asked, nearly ill at the thought that Cody could have met or come across the UNSUB.

"These kids, Tracy's like fourteen, Spike's older—seventeen I guess." Cody said, squirming uncomfortably under all the adult attention. She'd been on the streets long enough not to trust adults—especially male adults in fancy suits. "Haven't seen them for a few weeks. I just figured they moved on 

now that it's a bit warmer. I was getting' ready to. Probably would have made it to the coast in a week or so."

"Anything about the last time you saw them? Can you tell me their last names?" Hotch asked, pushing gently. He didn't miss the way the girl moved closer to Prentiss every time he addressed her. Something about _him _in particular frightened the girl, and it made him feel strangely guilty.

"Dude, we don't run with last names here. And Tracy? She could be mean, real mean. So I stayed out of her way. Spike—he was ok. There was this guy hassling me, and Spike made him back off. That was when I first crossed the river here." Cody said, softly. "What happened to them?"

Hotch looked at Prentiss, not feeling like it was his place to tell the girl. Prentiss stared at him a moment, obviously considering, before nodding. She turned to her younger cousin before speaking, "Honey, the St. Louis police found the bodies of Tracy Ann Whitaker and Travis Johnson down by the river four days ago, along with eight others."

"They're dead?" Cody asked, her voice breaking., though she did a good job of pulling herself in after a moment. "Em, I don't feel so good."

"Let's sit down, baby." Prentiss said, and Hotch was immediately surprised at the competency with which she mothered the girl. "Take a minute."

It shouldn't surprise him, he thought as he watched his agent hand the girl a bottle of water from the bag she had slung over her chest. Emily Prentiss was nothing if not competent at everything she chose to do.

"How'd they die?" Cody asked, looking straight at Hotch. The kid seemed to sense he was the one in charge and barely looked at the other two men in the room. Hotch knew if one of them tried to touch the kid she'd panic, so he made sure to keep plenty of space between him and the child. Something about him definitely set the kid on edge, more so than Rossi or Officer Randall.

"Honey, they were murdered. Someone lured them down to the river and killed them." Prentiss said softly. "Did you see them with anyone that you didn't recognize before they disappeared?"

"Just some white guy." Cody said, "He'd been down here a few times before. Wanted to talk to the other guys."

"What did this guy look like? Did he ever talk to you?" Rossi asked, the first he'd chimed in during the interview. "Anything special you can remember about him?"

"He asked me why I was here." Cody said, slightly warmer to him than Hotch. "I told him it was just temporary and I was headin' back to family. He left me alone after that."

"Have you seen him talk to anyone else?" Hotch asked. "Someone who can give us some more information and who won't mind talking to us?"

"Yeah, I guess. Tommy and Spitz, Morris and Angel, maybe. They usually drop in around crash time. I've seen them with the guy."

"Cody, one more thing before your cousin takes you back to the hotel, ok, honey?" Rossi said, softly.

"Sure."

"Can you tell us what he looked like?" Rossi asked, hoping that the kid would prove to be as observant as her cousin.

"Tall dude, taller than you, maybe the principle-like dude's height." Cody motioned toward Hotch. "Kind of skinny, I guess."

"Honey, is he black or white? How old is he?" Prentiss asked, running a hand over the girl's hair. "Anything that makes him stand out in your mind?"

"He's white, kind of pale, like he never gets outside. Like old Uncle Louis, but he's like forty or fifty or something. He had a mole on the side of his jaw. Big sucker, nasty looking. I remember thinking that with as much money as the suit cost he could have had it burned off, you know?"

"So it was an expensive suit?" Rossi said, are you sure?"

"Mister, I've can tell the difference between a cheap suit and a nice one, you know what I mean. This guy had the dough." Cody said, indignantly. "Dressed kind of like Aunt Em's Dad. Dresses like a coroner—or a politician."

Emily's lips quirked at that. The kid was right, her father did dress exactly like what he was—a politician.

"Thanks, Cody. Agent Prentiss, why don't you take the SUV and head back to the hotel. Brief JJ, Morgan, and Reid on what we've learned so far." Hotch ordered softly, seeing the weariness on the kid's face. Most likely the girl was hungry as well. "You and I'll talk tonight."

"Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

Cody was asleep on Emily's bed, her skinny little body dressed in one of Morgan's spare t-shirts and a pair of gym shorts she'd pulled from her tattered backpack. Her hair was clean and Emily'd French braided it into two braids. She looked like exactly what she was, a defenseless, vulnerable child. As Emily and JJ stood looking down at her, Emily knew that it that moment, if the child's mother was in the room Emily wouldn't be able to restrain herself.

She'd spent two minutes on the phone with the woman. Two freaking minutes where Gloria railed against the child, two minutes for her to tell her that Cody was _Emily's _problem now.

"What are you going to do?" JJ asked, one hand resting on the obvious bump of her stomach.

"Find a good family attorney. Draw up papers, enroll her in school, get her a counselor, and try to figure out exactly how to handle a twelve-year-old girl." Emily said resolutely. "Decide whether to bring Gloria up on child endangerment charges."

"Wow." JJ said. "This kid seems pretty attached to you. Were you that close to her father?"

"No. Not really. They lived in Chicago when I was assigned there. Just happened to notice we were in the same building. Grew from there. I'd not seen my cousin in fifteen years, but our mail kept getting cross delivered. We got to talking, then Gloria left. I lived in the same building with Cody and Jon for nearly seven years before he was transferred to DC. I'd babysit whenever he needed, and we became friends. When he died, I was ready to take her, JJ. I was. But Gloria had a legal claim, and she wanted her. I think she wanted access to the trust fund, myself."

"There's a trust fund?"

"Every Prentiss has a trust fund." Emily said, on a sigh. "My grandfather, her great-grandfather, set them up so that every subsequent generation draws so much from the company stock. It's not an ungodly amount, just enough that we don't have to struggle. Thankfully, we are not a prolific family. One or two children born each generation."

"So did Gloria get it?" JJ whispered, as the two women moved to the other side of the room. Emily had put the kid in her bed, and she'd decided to take the pull out couch.

"No. Jon set it up that the trust—and his estate—had an executor." Emily said, pulling back the covers on her couch bed. "Me. I'd been cutting Gloria a check from it for the last eight months."

"Hence the reason she didn't tell you Cody was missing." JJ said, grimly. "Bitch. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get that money back for Cody. It's hers—from her father and family. Gloria isn't entitled to a penny of it." Emily said. "I won't let that kid be taken advantage of. If I'd had my way the first time, she'd have never left DC."

"Wow." JJ said. "For what it's worth, you'll be a good mom."

"Yeah. But I didn't really expect to start with a near teenager." Emily said.

"But at least you'll get to skip the diapers." JJ said, rubbing her stomach exaggeratedly.

"Yeah. Point." Emily laughed softly. "We need to go to sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be very complicated."

"Are you going to go back to DC?" JJ asked, "I'm sure Hotch will let you."

"Probably. I can't have a kid on a case. But then again, if she's seen this guy…" Emily's voice trailed off. "No. I want her settled into a routine as soon as possible. I want to get her to DC, get the custody papers, and get things as normal for her as I can."

"Em—what are you going to do when you have to go out of town?" JJ asked. She had Will for after the baby was born, but what was Emily supposed to do?

"I don't know, I haven't really thought that far ahead."

"You'll work it out. Somehow."

EMILYEMILYEMILYEMILYEMILYEMILYEMILY

Dave heard the whimpers first, jumping out of his bed. Hotch—whose hearing wasn't quite one hundred percent since the explosion—was slightly slower to hear. Whomever it was crying was getting louder. Hotch stood, slipping on his shoes.

"It's coming from the girls' room." Dave realized.

"I'm going to check, make sure they're ok." Hotch said. They always put Emily and JJ in the room between theirs and Morgan and Reid's. It was just safer that way. "Stay here, unless I call. No sense in both of us rushing over there."

"Think it's the kid?" Dave asked, as Hotch jerked open the room door.

"I don't know." Hotch said. "If it is, that's one hell of a nightmare."

"I hope Emily knows what she's getting herself into." Dave said, partially to himself as the younger man rushed out of the room. "I hope she knows."

Hotch's knock was almost missed in the noise of Cody's nightmare. Emily and JJ had both woken with the first unconscious scream. Emily'd moved immediately to the little girl's side while JJ'd flipped on the lights. The little girl sat up, all wild-eyed and scared. She rocked herself, the keening whimpers slicing through both women's empathetic hearts.

"Cody, you're alright. I'm right here, sweetheart, right here." Emily began, moving to wrap her arms around the child. The little girl fought at first, then must have realized who held her. She clung to Emily.

"He was getting me again, Emmie. I couldn't get away. I couldn't find you. I tried, but I couldn't." Her words were garbled, but neither JJ nor Emily missed what she'd said.

Emily's face was pale, and JJ could see the guilt written on the older woman's face. It was obvious she blamed herself for whatever the little girl had suffered. A sharp knock sounded, and JJ turned to answer, knowing it had to be one of the men. No matter how much they denied it, the males of the team were more than a little overprotective of her and Emily. JJ accepted it, though she knew it grated on the more independent Emily. She opened the door, revealing the tall, handsome, worried supervisor. JJ stepped out into the hallway, and he stepped back, giving her room.

"JJ?" Derek and Reid's door was opened as well, and the dark-skinned man stood in the frame. "Everything ok?"

"Emily's cousin had a nightmare. Pretty bad one." JJ explained, "Em's calming her down. Poor kid. She's been abused, I think. More than she's told Emily."

"Did Em get everything straightened out with the kid's mother?" Derek asked, closing his door and moving to stand next to Hotch and the blonde.

"She basically told Emily that Cody wasn't her concern anymore, and as long as Emily controlled the kid's inheritance she was Emily's problem. Actually hung up on Emily."

"There's an inheritance?" Hotch asked. "And Prentiss controls it. The mother doesn't want the kid. That about it?"

"Pretty much." JJ said. "And the kid woke up screaming for Emily. Screaming she couldn't find Emily. And Emily has decided she's keeping the kid. Said she would have eight months ago but the mother suddenly showed up."

"For the money." Hotch said, grimly. It was always the kids that got to him the most, and the little dark haired girl that looked so much like Emily as a victim bothered him on a deeper level than he'd ever admit. He made a vow to help them both out as much as he could, in any way he could.


	4. Chapter 4

_(This story is NOT part of my other H/P series, and I don't know if it will become a series of its own. After all—that other series will be in the 125 thousand word range—time I should have spent writing my FBI thriller novels. Anyway, enjoy!)_

PRENTISS'S FIND FOUR

Emily lay awake long after Cody had fallen asleep. Her life had taken a one-eighty turn and she always hated that. Emily was one of those people who always had a plan. Always. But having a child around would change things. She'd have to arrange child care, someone she trusted to stay with the girl, or let the girl stay with them, while the team was out of town. She'd have to find a decent _private _school for the child, get her settled into her condo. Clothes, shoes, school supplies, counselor—all of that would have to be dealt with immediately after they returned to Annandale.

Not to mention finding one hell of a family attorney and seeing to it that Gloria never set one foot back in Cody's life. She'd have to get a recommendation from Hotch. The man knew more lawyers than she'd ever seen, not surprising since he was one.

Emily stood, ready to find a vending machine and something to drink, a restlessness over taking her as everything began to close in on her. It would have been a little different eight months ago. She'd have had a grieving child to deal with, but at least the child wouldn't have been abused, and wouldn't have been on the streets for four damned months. Things would have been different. But she couldn't dwell on that now, had to focus on making sure the child was safe and happy with her, permanently and legally. Legally, Emily knew she was toeing a dangerous line by not immediately sending Cody back to her mother, who had legal custody.

She had to be very careful of how she handled things. She had to get the kid to Virginia and file a custody suit in _her _jurisdiction. That would ensure Cody was safe in Virginia in the event that Gloria suddenly changed her mind and wanted the girl back. That was not happening. Emily was not sending that child back to that woman, no matter what.

She'd recognized it for what it was, when the little girl had been telling her all about why she'd ran. Rodney hadn't just gotten grabby. He'd gotten Cody, and that made Emily angry, hurt—understanding. The same thing had happened to her when she was fourteen. A colleague of her father's had made his way into her room. It was only at the last minute that her mother had heard her scream. It had been that close, she'd felt him looming over her, ready to hurt her, when the ambassador had rushed to Emily's room and grabbed the pink ball bat Emily had kept in the corner. Her mom had cracked that bastard across the back first, swinging and hitting repeatedly until Emily's father had rushed into the room.

That had been the end of her parents' marriage. Emily's dad had chosen to bury the whole thing so as not to endanger the upcoming company merger with the bastard's company. Elizabeth had packed her daughter's things and left that very night, legally changing hers and Emily's names back to that of her 

maiden name and building a whole new life in her next post—Russia—for her and fourteen year old Emily.

It was one of the few times Emily could remember her mother putting her first, and she'd never forgotten it—though their relationship was still strained to this day. As for Emily's father—he showed up twice a year, on Emily's birthday and on his, gave her a ridiculously expensive present and then left. The last time, he'd brought his thirty-one year old third wife to meet her. Emily did not look forward to his visits.

Or his guilt presents.

Her mother had handled the whole thing with dignity and sincerity. Had been honest with Emily about everything, about sex, about what that man had been wanting to do. That there was a sickness in some people. That experience had shaped her into what she was today, into the woman she'd become. She'd always tried to act with the same dignity and sincerity her mother had exhibited after beating the ever loving hell out of the monster in her daughter's room.

She just hoped she could teach Cody the same valuable lessons.

If it hadn't been for the openness with which her mother had treated her, Emily would not have ended up the way she had, she would have ended up in a far worse way. She'd never forget that time, never. She thought of it almost every day, in some way or another.

The lobby's vending area was deserted and Emily made quick work of making her selection, candy bar and caffeine free soda, before dropping into one of the cozy leather seats. Sometimes she just needed to sit and think, and today was one of those times.

Hotch found her there nearly an hour later. He'd needed something to drink, the Midwest heat wave winning over the temperamental air conditioning in the room he shared with Dave. "Prentiss?"

"Hotch." She turned, surprised, and he frowned at the pain and confusion written in her big dark eyes.

"Everything ok?" He asked, inanely, as he purchased a can of soda.

"For now. Trying to decide exactly what I need to do next." She wasn't comfortable sharing with him, and they both knew it. Although he was working more and more closely with her since he'd been injured, it was still a highly _professional _relationship, and she wasn't comfortable with him having such a look into her personal life.

"I understand." Hotch said. "JJ said you were keeping her. That has to be frightening."

"Yes. But I was ready eight months ago. Was disappointed, hurt, when Gloria—her mother—suddenly showed up. Felt like I had no choice but to send her with her."

"And instead, she ends up on the streets, and you feel responsible." He didn't beat around the bush with her. It's how he would have felt. "Maybe you are partially. But you did what you had to do legally, sending her with her parent. It was not your fault that that parent turned out to be a bad choice. Would you have won eight months ago, if there had been a custody battle? Probably not. But now—now it's a different story."

She knew what he said was true. But it didn't make it any easier thinking of Cody all alone traveling halfway across the country to be with her. "I feel like I let her down by not fighting. But had I fought, I might have lost all contact with her, which I virtually did anyway."

"Don't make excuses, Emily. She's lucky to have someone like you in her life." Hotch told her. "Many kids out there don't. And it's obvious you care about her."

"I know." Emily didn't know what else to say to him. "I think I'm going to have to ask for a few days off, maybe even a week."

"Take as much time as you need." He absently pushed a dark curl out of her eyes, his hand lingering on the softness. "And Emily, if you need anything, just let me know."

"I will."


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, the case was solved within an hour of JJ making Emily and Cody's flight arrangements. They'd not been able to get a flight until six that evening, so Emily had no choice but to either keep the child in the hotel room, or to take her with her to the precinct.

She knew there was no way in hell she'd be able to keep the precocious Cody cooped up in a hotel all day, so she chose instead to take the child to the precinct. Officer Randall asked Emily if Cody might be able to look through mug books and other various photographs in the hopes she could identify the man with the large facial mole.

It hadn't been a felon she'd identified, but an attorney seen in a surveillance shot of a known drug dealer. They'd brought him in, Cody and two other runaways had picked him out of a line-up. Took him half an hour under Hotch and Morgan's interrogation to get him to crack.

Emily had left Cody with JJ in the squad room, wanting to hear the man's reasons for his actions. She'd stood shoulder to shoulder with Dave at the window while Hotch lured the man out. He'd been _cleansing _the streets of potential perpetrators, runaways who'd flaunted all that their parents had done for them.

He'd approach the kids, question them briefly about the _why _behind them being on the streets. Cody had been lucky, and it made Emily almost violently ill to know it, because she'd told the man she was on her way to her aunt's in DC, that her father had died and she'd had no where else to go. It had saved her life, of that Emily had no doubt. She'd have to live with that for the rest of her life. Just like her mother had had to live with the knowing she'd played hostess to Emily's attacker over twenty years ago.

Emily felt her admiration for her mother grow just a little bit, knowing how she must have been guilt-wracked through the years.

The UNSUB—Robert Lucson—railed against the nastiness on the streets, blamed it on the spoiled children of hapless, loving parents. Garcia'd found the reports of his own son's running away ten months earlier. The oldest body found by the river had been buried approximately ten months. Identification was still pending. Emily had her suspicions as to who the boy was.

It took them two more hours to wrap everything up and turn it over to Officer Randall's hands. Emily cancelled her flight on the six o'clock flight, deciding to save the money and ride back with the team. Having Cody on the plane was slightly against regulations, but JJ had said she could cover the paperwork.

Hotch hadn't said anything about the breach, and Emily wondered why, but other things were taking her attention. She'd contacted her lawyer, her own mother—apparently Cody had failed to tell the ambassador that she was clear across the country and needed help, and Garcia.

She wanted every bit of information she could find on Gloria Stephens and Rodney James _before_ she initiated the custody suit. Jon—Cody's dad—had had a Power of Attorney assigned to Emily two years after Gloria had left with no contact. As the parent with sole custody, his wishes would hold valuable weight in family court—especially with Cody having been missing, unreported, for four months.

It wouldn't look good for Gloria. So Emily expected no hindrances from that quarter. It was just a matter of getting the girl settled, and everything finalized. Then they could set about developing as much of a routine as Emily could provide for her. Nothing would happen to her again. Nothing.

It took the team a little longer than expected to clear out of the St. Louis precinct, and then the jet was grounded for several hours while the weather cleared.

So it was approaching midnight before they were even allowed to board the jet. Cody was sound asleep in the private waiting room of the government airstrip, her small body slumped next to JJ's. The pregnant blonde hadn't lasted much longer than the twelve-year-old.

Morgan gently shook JJ awake, and the blonde rose to her feet, one hand grabbing for her ready-bag. Emily handed her own bag to Derek, and slung the black backpack Cody always lugged around over her shoulder. She carefully scooped up the petite child—she weighed less than eighty pounds and was several inches shorter than five feet—resting the little girl's head on her shoulder. There was no use waking Cody up, just to tell her to lie back down once boarded.

Hotch watched Emily move the little girl into her arms, and he wanted to offer to help. But he didn't. it was obvious Emily was comfortable with the little girl, and had carried her before. And Emily wouldn't like it if he—or Dave and Morgan—treated her like she was weaker than them. Plus, it was her child, now, her responsibility. The little girl moved, her skinny arms snaking around the older woman's neck. Her braids blended with Emily's straight brown hair. Anyone looking at them would never know Emily wasn't her mother. He couldn't see that proving a hindrance for the little girl in the years to come.

Emily had to known what the little girl would be facing. Her manner shouted abused to Hotch, the way the child was wary with him, and to some extent, Reid, Dave, and Morgan. The way she didn't want _anyone _to touch her, with the obvious exception of Emily. The way she hadn't mentioned her mother—at least in Hotch's hearing—since that first fifteen minutes after they'd found her at the shelter. The nightmares. The way the little girl seemed so hyper-vigilant, the way she fought having Emily out of her sight. It was only with JJ that she'd let Emily out of the room. It was a bit more than the natural skittishness of a young child surviving on the streets, it shouted _abuse_ to the profiler. And from her words about her mother's boyfriend, Hotch knew it had been sexual.

It wouldn't be easy for Emily as a first time parent, to deal with a pre-teen who'd suffered abuse. But as a profiler, he was pretty sure she'd know something of what to expect. But theory and practice were two different things—something he'd learned first hand with Jack. You never really knew what to do with a child, until you were actually doing it. But he knew she'd have no choice but to get through it.


	6. Chapter 6

Emily took the next day—Friday—off. The first thing she did was meet with an attorney. He started paperwork for a temporary custody order and had it filed by the end of the day. The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting the three private schools near Emily's condo. The second one was the best choice and Emily went through the process of registering Cody, even going so far as to have Garcia forward the child's school's records from California to expedite the process. Saturday was spent shopping. It left Emily exhausted—and slightly in awe. Who knew a child who'd be wearing uniforms five days a week needed a million pairs of pants, 2 million tops, or 3 million pairs of shoes. But it made the kid smile, and Emily had plenty of money, so she indulged her a little. It amused her to see Cody be drawn to several pairs of child-sized fatigues. Like woman like child. Emily had really missed the little girl, and was glad to see her so happy.

But she knew they were in the calm before the storm. Right now every thing with Cody was tenuous at best. Once the child became more settled, more secure, she'd most likely become resentful and angry of the things that had happened to her.

It's what Emily had done. She'd rebelled violently when she was fifteen—six months after the attack on Emily. She'd downplayed the extent of it with Hotch when they'd been outside a movie theater. She had smoked, had tried to attract any boy she could, had snuck out at all hours. She had been a classic case of a girl acting out because of emotional trauma. Until her mother had found a psychiatrist specializing in abuse patients.

First thing Monday morning she'd be making calls to find one for Cody. Emily wasn't taking any chances with the girl's emotional well-being. The kid had a card stacked against her because of Emily's inexperience as a parent _and _the high-demand nature of Emily's job. It was a given that Cody would have to spend many nights with a baby-sitter. So far, Emily had no idea of who she'd trust enough to watch the little girl for sometimes three, four, even more, days in a row.

She'd have to cross that bridge when she got there.

Sunday brought a much more subdued child, and Emily watched her closely for several hours before confronting her. "Cody, is there something you want to talk about?"

"Why do I have to go back to sixth grade?" Cody asked, "I already took sixth grade."

"But you missed nearly ten weeks of class." Emily said, knowing it went deeper. "And you won't be any older than your classmates, remember?"

Cody had skipped the third grade, so even repeating sixth would put her right on target with her age mates.

"But, what if something happens?" Cody asked, her pale skin even paler than normal.

"What if _what _happens?" Emily prompted, placing her fork on her plate, and turning more fully to the little girl on the opposite barstool. "Talk to me."

"What if Rodney comes? What if you're gone at work and he comes to my school? Or, what if you have to go away and something happens to you and the court sends me back?"

"Even if something were to _ever _happen to me, I plan to make sure that you never go back to Gloria again. Do you understand me?" Emily planned to speak to the ambassador that next afternoon—she wanted her mother to guarantee that she'd always provide for Cody, no matter what. In Emily's business, you just never knew. She wanted a plan in place, just in case. "You _will_ always know what's going to happen to you, no matter where my job takes me. We'll work out a plan ahead of time, Cody. I promise you that. And honey—you were there, the court said you're staying with me. It'll just take a few months to get everything finalized. But it will be finalized. Then you and me—we're stuck with each other—forever."

Cody smiled at the spooky way Emily intoned the last word. "Promise?"

"I promise." Emily ruffled the dark hair the exact shade of her own. "And you don't start class until Tuesday. I've taken the first part of the day off tomorrow, and then we're going into the BAU. I have to fill out my paperwork from St. Louis—and add you to my insurance, and all that jazz. You'll meet my friend Garcia, and see where I work. Then you and me—we're going out! Girls only!"

"What if I don't like this school?" Cody asked, face clouding again.

"We'll deal with that when that happens--_if _it happens. The school was clean, nice, the classes were small, and you did like the library and computer lab. Not to mention the pool." Emily pointed out some of the things that had attracted the little girl to the second school over the others—Emily had had Garcia track down reviews of the six schools on her list and Emily had narrowed it down to three. Together, she and Cody had decided which one fit _both _their requirements. Emily had a feeling the school would be a great choice for the precocious Cody. And the supervision-ratio of adult-to-student was what Emily had wanted.

"What if I don't like the people?"

"You won't like all the people. But you will like at least some of the people." Emily sipped her tea before continuing. "I didn't like everybody I worked with when I moved to DC either. But I've made a lot of friends since then."

"Who'd you not like? I won't like them, either." Cody nodded her head, decisively.

"No, that won't work, sweetheart. I want you to make your opinions of people based on _your _judgments—not mine or anyone else's." Emily said, firmly. "You've got good head, kiddo, so you should use it."

"But who didn't you like? I bet it was that Mr. Hotch, guy. He seems scary." The kid was sure of it. "He looks like Rodney."

"Does he?" Emily murmured, as a few things became clearer. "Honey, Hotch is my boss, and while we aren't close friends, I know I can trust him to help me in any way. He's a good man. But I didn't think so at first. At first I thought he was like my dad. Remember when you met him he was trying to talk to Grandpa Leo about giving him money to invest in his business, how he kept trying to trick Grandpa? I thought Hotch was the same way, always trying to get things his way."

"I remember. You got mad at your dad. Told him to go away." Cody nodded. "Told him you didn't like business and you hated politics. So was Mr. Hotch that way? Did he play tricks to get what he wanted?"

"No, honey. He didn't. I was wrong, but I learned differently. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to really get to know someone. I want you to promise me that you'll give the people at this new school a chance, ok?"

"Ok, Aunt Emily. I can do that." Cody was quiet for a few more minutes while she finished her chicken and pasta. "Aunt Em?"

"Yes, baby?"

"When this court stuff is finalized, what will you be?" Cody asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Will you still be my aunt? Will I be adopted? What is guardianship and custody?"

"I'll be Emily and you'll be Cody. And we'll both be Prentiss's." Emily said. "Is that what you mean?"

"But what will I call you? Do I say this is my Aunt Emily? What will I say when they ask where my mom and dad are? I don't want them to know that my mom—_Gloria—_didn't want me."

"Cody—what do you _want _to tell them?" Emily grabbed the little girl's chin, leading the little face in her direction. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable with who we are to each other, ok? I love you, and we are a family. Just you and me—and the ambassador and Grandpa Leo. We should probably include him, don't you think? Just like we were a family before you went to California. We will always be a family, do you understand?"

"Yes." Cody said.

Emily could tell she wasn't done. "Cody, what's on your mind?"

"I think I should call you my _mom_. Then they won't know, you know? About the court stuff."

"Honey, do you want to call me that to _hide, _or because that's how you feel about me_? _I don't want you to be ashamed of the way _Gloria _is--that's her problems, her failings, never yours._"_ Emily wasn't against the idea, but she wanted the little girl to think about it very thoroughly. "I think you need to think about it for a while before deciding, ok? We can talk more about it before school Tuesday, and then we can figure out what you want to tell people. Sound like a deal?"

"Deal." The child agreed.

(_Ok, I know this was supposed to be a H/P romance, but it has warped into a Cody story…something I never intended…so tell me, did I keep Emily in character??)_


	7. Chapter 7

Find Seven

Derek and Penelope were standing by the rails outside Dave's office talking to Hotch when the elevator doors opened and a pair of pretty brunettes walked out, drawing their attention. Garcia snorted, her laugh muffled, but happy.

"Baby girl?" Derek asked, looking toward the blonde. "What's so funny?"

"Emily has a _mini-me." _Neither man missed the obvious Austin Powers reference, and they looked a little closer at the girl by Emily's side. Both men smiled, realizing what Garcia had meant. Cody's hair was down, straightened like Emily had often worn hers, her bangs falling slightly below her brows. Her t-shirt was red, with some sort of character printed on the front, and her pants were charcoal fatigues, with numerous pockets and zippers. She wore small black combat boots on her feet. It was like looking at a scaled down version of 'field-Emily'.

Emily, by contrast, looked like a soccer mom, in a white blouse and slate trousers. Her hair had been left free to curl, but there was no doubt looking at the two Prentiss females that they shared a blood relationship.

"I'll have to get a picture of that." Garcia giggled. "She's awfully tiny, though, isn't she?"

"Yeah. But she's as smart as a whip." Derek said, watching as Emily guided the little girl to her desk. Reid sat at his adjoining desk and he nodded at the little girl. Reid was always a little nervous around kids. "I wonder how they survived the weekend?"

"Emily emailed me, said they'd done a lot of school shopping. Clothes, shoes, the whole works. Even bought stuff to redecorate Emily's spare room." Garcia said. "Enrolled her in Lenbrooks Academy, about a mile from her place. Nice school."

"Pricey." Derek said, "I had an ex who sent two of her three kids there. It's not exactly chump change."

"But it's got a reputation for being good. And apparently they have an excellent teacher student ratio." Garcia said. "She also filed custody papers Friday. Looks like our little Emily is a new mommy."

"Trust Emily not to do it the traditional way." Derek snickered.

Hotch hadn't said anything, just watched the two females. JJ had come out of the small break area, a fresh cup of decaf in her hands. She greeted the two, admired the child's obviously new shoes. Everyone could see her amusement at Cody's choice of pants. They'd all seen nearly identical pairs on Emily. JJ handed Emily a copy of the paperwork she was required to fill out about St. Louis, and the older woman immediately sat down to begin working on it. Cody took a seat on the edge of Derek's desk, pulling a 

game system out of her bag, complete with headphones, she was obviously prepared to spend a few hours waiting for her aunt.

"Come on, I want to meet my new godchild." Garcia ordered, poking Morgan in the ribs. "Hotch, sir, are you coming?"

"I had probably better stay here. Something about me frightens the girl, a little."

"Does it?" Garcia looked at him, puzzled.

"Emily emailed me, said that the girl said you look like that Rodney guy." JJ said, as she moved to hand Morgan and Hotch their copies of the paperwork. "Said they'd talked a little about what had happened to her. Cody hasn't told her enough for a legal case, but she feels she will in time. Emily is looking for a good child psychiatrist for her."

"What about the custody crap?" Morgan asked. "Did Em say anything about that?"

"Paperwork is filed, and with the father's last wishes, the way the family estate is set up, the entire matter will be handled in a _Virginia _court, not California. So even if the mother tries to fight it, she'll have to do it on our turf." JJ said, repeating what Emily had told her in a late night phone call. "But the shelter where Cody was staying can serve as proof that Gloria is guilty of at the minimum failing to report the kid as a runaway. That won't look good. So, as far as I know, the kid is Emily's, permanently."

"Wow. Emily works quick." Derek said.

"Well, apparently, the _Prentiss _name can open a few doors." JJ shrugged, one hand dropping to rub the bump unconsciously. "And Emily is nothing if not determined, when she wants to be."

"Emily as a mommy. I can so see it." Garcia said, nodding.

"Me, too." JJ agreed. "So you want to go meet the kid?"

"Sure!" Garcia said, enthusiastically. "I am ready and willing to corrupt! So was the kid really on the streets?"

"Four months. From Southern California to St. Louis." Hotch said, grimly.

"Poor little thing." Garcia said, her own time living on the streets flashing through her mind. And she had been eighteen, not twelve. "Well, we have her now! Come on Jayje."

DAVEHOTCHDAVEHOTCHDAVEHOTCH

The three younger team members started down the steps just as Dave moved to join Hotch at the railing. "Big changes for Emily."

Hotch waited a moment before answering. "She seems to be adjusting."

"The woman is nothing if not determined." Dave said, watching as Garcia greeted the small version of Agent Prentiss. "Especially when it's someone she cares about. I can see her being a good mother. Maybe the situation isn't ideal, but can you see Emily not giving everything she's got to make it work?"

"No, I can't. That little girl is very lucky, in more ways than one. If we hadn't taken that case, Dave—would Emily have found her, in time, anyway?"

"You can't focus on _what_ _if's_, Aaron. You know that. Just be thankful we did find Cody. And that she has someone who wants her and loves her and can take care of her. How many kids are out there in the foster system or on the streets who can't say the same thing?"

"I know. Apparently, I look like the mother's boyfriend." Hotch said.

"I wondered. So that's why she is nervous around you. How bad do you think he hurt her?" Dave asked, saddened by the reality that that little girl had faced.

"I don't know. At least once—something happened that forced her to see running away as the only option." Hotch said, "And she could have found another way to contact Emily. Email for example."

"Unless they prevented internet access. Emily said she'd emailed Cody almost daily. So why didn't the little girl say something? Most likely because it wasn't the little girl answering the emails. Apparently someone had been emailing Emily back for the last four months. My question is why? And how much is this inheritance worth? Enough that this Rodney and the girl's mother would deliberately mask the girl's running away from Emily in order to get the checks." Dave said, quickly profiling what he'd heard Emily or the girl say.

Hotch ran over Dave's words for a long moment. He watched the way Cody laughed at something Garcia said, watched as Emily ruffled the dark hair affectionately. She was a natural with the child, her body language shouting—to Hotch and the other profilers, at least—that she was more than comfortable in the new role she'd found herself in. Hotch wondered briefly how much she'd been involved in the child's life before the father had died. Quite a bit, from his observations. "My question is, if they'd go to that much trouble to hide her disappearance, most likely for the money, how far will they go to prevent Emily from stopping them receiving the money."

"You think they'll make trouble?" Dave asked. "How?"

"I don't know." Hotch said. "But it bears watching, don't you think?"


	8. Chapter 8

FIND Eight

Tuesday was one of the roughest days of Emily's life and one of the most rewarding. Cody wasn't cooperative from the very start. She'd complained about the school uniform—mauve and navy—and about how Emily had braided her hair. She'd complained about her shoes, and about the weight of the book bag Emily had selected for her, and had filled with notebooks and pens.

Emily knew exactly how scared the little girl was. And it didn't take her profiling instincts to see it. "Cody."

"Yeah?"

"You'll get through this." Emily ran one hand over the girl's shoulder as they walked out of the condo and to the car. "We both will."

"We?" Cody looked at her, brows furrowed. "I'm the one starting a new school."

"Yeah, but it's _my _kid who is starting a new school. As a new parent, I get to worry." Emily said firmly. "Even though I know that that kid—who is funny, smart, beautiful, and resourceful—will be just fine."

"So I am your kid?" Cody asked.

"Yep." Emily knew where things were headed. "Remember what we talked about?"

"Yes." Cody said.

"And what have you decided? What do _you _want to call me? What do you want me to call you?"

"I think I want you to be my mom. I used to pretend you were. When I was little and Daddy would be at work." Cody admitted. "And I don't want people to ask me questions about Gloria, either. So can I?"

"Can you what, Cody? Spell it out for me, baby." Emily wanted the little girl to learn early on to express what she was feeling. No bottling up inside, because that just hurt in the long run. She should know.

"Can I call you my mom?" Cody's eyes were watering, and Emily knew hers were, too. "Please?"

"I'd like that very much, Cody." Emily said. "But whatever you had decided, would have been fine with me—except Auntie Em. If you called me that I'd have to keep looking around for witches, tornados, and yellow brick roads."

"Huh?"

"Ok." Emily said, as she maneuvered the car out of the driveway. "We'll stop at the video store, and the bookstore, after I pick you up from school. You can learn all about Auntie Em and the yellow brick road."

"Sometimes, _mom, _you can be a little weird." Cody said, her smile just a bit wavering.

"It's the inner nerd in me—better get used to it. You'll see it a lot." Emily said, looking away so the kid wouldn't see how her eyes had suddenly filled. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear them so she could drive.

"Great…of all the mom's in the world, I get the nerd." Cody snickered, a shadow of her former mischievous self reappearing briefly. "So if you're my new mom, what does that make Aunt Elizabeth?"

"Well…how about Grandma Ambassador?" Emily frowned mockingly, "Grandmother Dearest? Grammy Beth? Nana Ellie? Mamaw?"

"How about Granny?" Cody laughed, a full laugh that brought Emily's smile to the forefront. "Wouldn't she like that?"

"Wouldn't I like to see her face when you call her that." Emily said. Her mother, who prided herself on her sleek self-image as a _granny _was just preposterous. "Maybe we'd better let her decide on that one. But you are certainly free to make any suggestions you want. Now, do you remember what your teacher's name is? What room number you're in? All the emergency numbers are in your notebook, ok? Mine, Mr. Rossi's, Garcia's, and JJ's. Ok?"

"Yes, Mom." Cody wrinkled her nose before continuing. "Sounds a little weird, doesn't it?"

"Yep. But I think we can get used to it. I know I can!"

Ten minutes later and Emily stood by the car, watching as Cody made the slow walk up the stone steps into the elementary school, along with at least two hundred other students. The kid looked so small and defenseless in her little maroon blazer and her double French braids. Emily wanted to just go grab her and take her back to the condo, keep there where nothing else could ever hurt her. But the rational part of her knew that would be the worst thing for the kid.

She was thankful that the BAU didn't convene until ten a.m. for briefings. It had allowed her to have Cody at school before the eight thirty bell, and still gave Emily a while to compose herself. It was the first time she'd been separated from the little girl for a long stretch of time, since she'd found her days earlier.

It was tough.

She settled at her desk, not speaking to anyone, waiting for the signal from JJ that they had another case. She'd made arrangements for Cody in the event she had to be out of town for a few days—with Garcia, the only one she really trusted, but she hoped and prayed that the next several days would prove uneventful. She wanted to be home to hear all about the little girl's first day of school.

The BAU often spent weeks office-bound, with no cases warranting their immediate attention. In that time everyone filled their work hours with consults, and custodial interviews. Sometimes members of the BAU were tapped to teach certain classes over at the cadet campus.

Emily prayed this week would be one of those office bound ones, and when the ten o'clock briefing came and went, with just instructions to do consults, Emily relaxed, as well.

Cody had been at school two hours with no frantic phone calls, so things were apparently going well.

Two o'clock rolled around and Emily found herself sharing a lunch with Garcia and JJ.

"So how's my new godkid?" Garcia asked, digging into her sandwich. "Adjusting well to life as an Emily Mini-me?"

"Funny, Pen." Emily smirked. "She's doing ok, but I can't help but feel it's the calm before the storm. She's still very unsure of things. After a couple of weeks, she'll probably turn bratty and I'll walk around here pulling out my hair."

"And it's such nice thick hair, too." JJ snickered, sneaking a bit of the sliced fruit off Emily's tray. They were in one of the cafeterias and the pickings were a bit slim, making it difficult for her to satisfy the bump. "Seriously…how are you doing with all this?"

"Truthfully, I am absolutely terrified and a nervous wreck. Should have seen me in the school parking lot." Emily admitted, a bit more open with JJ and Garcia than with the guys. "Cried for fifteen minutes after she went inside."

"In the middle of the parking lot?" JJ asked, incredulous. "What in the world happened?"

"I sent her into the elementary school." Emily's sigh was filled with self-depreciation. "Pathetic. I know. She, uh, called me _mom. _She asked me Sunday if she could call me that, but I told her to think about it for a while. We agreed this morning that she could if she wanted to. So after she got out of the car, and was completely inside the building, I sat there and bawled. Until the guy in the car beside mine knocked on the window and asked if I was alright."

"Oh God, what did you do?" JJ's mouth was hanging open slightly. She'd never imagine Emily losing it like that—and could picture the mortification on the woman's face at having been seen.

"Told him my kid called me _mom._" Emily admitted. "He looked at me like I was crazy, so I pulled out. What else was I supposed to say?"

"That's hilarious." Garcia snickered. "Emily crying in a parking lot is kind of sad, but I can just imagine this guy's face. Was he cute?"

"He wasn't bad, let's just say that, far from it." Emily admitted. "I didn't see a ring, either."

"Which made it worse." JJ concluded, "Because if he was available and you were acting like a total dweeb, that would be horrible."

"Not that it matters." Emily said, firmly, as they stood to return to the tenth floor and the BAU. "I am not going to my kid's school to pick up men. It is so _not_ happening."


	9. Chapter 9

Less than an hour after she'd finished lunch with JJ and Garcia, she slipped out for a few minutes. Time to pick up Cody at the school. She'd already arranged with Hotch for an hour of personal time to complete the task, and he'd agreed without hesitation. Cody would return to the BAU and sit at one of the empty desks in the bullpen and work on any homework for the two hours until Emily was off the clock.

It wasn't ideal, but it would work for a few days until the school's extra curricular programs began. Emily was just thankful Hotch wasn't protesting her using the BAU as an unofficial daycare facility. The man had really won her appreciation in the last few days, and she made a mental note to tell him that.

Emily parked the car in the same parking lot as that morning, and walked to wait by the steps to the school with the other parents of elementary aged children. It hit her then, that _she _was now a parent. Almost drove her to her knees. She'd not had even a few minutes to herself except in the drive from the school to the Bureau and back, she'd had no time to really think about how _she _felt about the changes in her life.

She suddenly felt sick as the weight of the responsibility hit her. Cody was hers, was dependent on her completely. Emily just prayed she'd be able to follow through on the unspoken promises she'd made to the little girl. Someone pumped her and jerked her out of her slightly panicked reflections. She looked up to see a dark-haired man about her own age standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't mean to run into you. I was a bit lost in thought."

"Please, no harm done. I wasn't exactly paying attention myself." Emily said, a small, polite smile touching her face.

"I've not seen you here before," He said, moving to lean against the waist high concrete wall near where Emily stood. His shoulder was a few inches from Emily's. He was tall, good looking, reminded her a little of Hotch in his slightly severe blue suit and tie.

"Just registered this week." Emily said, watching as the kids began to file out of the building excitedly. She watched the little faces for one specifically, starting to get a bit concerned when she didn't see her.

"What grade?" The man asked, his own eyes trained on the sea of children.

"Sixth. She just started today." Emily admitted.

"Just moved to the area?" He was persistent and Emily's eyes moved from searching the kids to check his left hand. No ring, and she was beginning to suspect they weren't just casual questions—he was feeling her out.

"No." Emily didn't elaborate on their situation—she didn't want Cody to have to face rumors. And it was no one's business but theirs, anyway. "Just switched schools."

"I'm Jason Collins, my son's in seventh." He held out a hand to Emily and she shook it, distractedly, the crush of children had thinned and there was still no sign of Cody. "Don't worry, some of the kids tend to take their time. Mine's one of them. He's usually the very last one out, it seems. You are?"

"Emily Prentiss. It's nice to meet you." Emily smiled at him, a little friendlier. He seemed nice, and he was handsome. "I'm a bit nervous, I'll admit it. Cody hasn't had an easy time lately, and I think we were both a nervous wreck this morning."

"I know. Sometimes I look at Ryan and think _I'm keeping him home from now on._ I don't think he'd appreciate it, but it would make me feel better." He smiled, and Emily was struck by the dimples and the way his smile lit up his dark eyes.

"I know. I was ready to turn the car around and look into homeschooling this morning." Emily laughed at herself. "Not that that would _work _for either Cody or me, but it looked like a darned good option this morning."

Before he could say anything else a boy came running up, his glasses sliding off his nose and his book bag unzipped. Collins ruffled the curly dark hair, the gesture shouting comfort and affection to Emily. Jason Collins was comfortable in his role as a father, and Emily admired that. "Hey, Ry. Say hello to Mrs. Prentiss, her daughter just started the sixth today."

"Please, it's not Mrs., I'm not married." Emily corrected.

"Divorced?" Collins asked, a gleam appearing in his dark eyes that Emily recognized for what it was.

"Uh, no. Never married." Emily said, having mixed feelings about his obvious interest. On one hand, he was a good-looking, attractive man, on the other hand—did she have even a moment's time for a man right now?

Before he could say anything else, Cody appeared in the school doorway, her hand clutching that of a fortyish blonde woman. "Excuse me, there's my Cody, now."

"It was nice to meet you, Emily." Collins said, and his smile deepened as he and the boy turned to head down to the parking lot. "Hopefully, I'll see you again."

Emily didn't answer, just nodded, as she started toward the little girl. Cody was pointing her out to the woman holding her hand, and Emily's profiler training immediately picked up the woman's hesitation.

The woman and girl met Emily halfway. "Cody? Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

"Yes. But Mrs. Smith wants to talk to you." Cody said. Emily unconsciously profiled the little girl. The child's braids were only slightly unkempt, which was to be expected after so many hours, her maroon blazer was removed and draped over the straps of her new black book bag. Her skirt had a slight stain on it that Emily recognized as chocolate milk. One navy knee sock had been pushed down and bunched around her small ankle. The new combat boots Cody had insisted on were both slightly untied. She looked like any happy, healthy little girl getting freed from the school day.

"Oh, about what?" Emily looked between the child and the one she now knew to be Cody's teacher.

"I like to meet all my students' parents, especially when they move in during the school year. It's unusual that Cody arrived nearly two weeks after the start of term, and I wanted to make sure you'd received all of the class's information. I always like to give my parents a detailed synopsis of what the children will be doing, and learning. And address any questions the parents may have." The woman handed Emily a thick, spiral bound booklet as she spoke. "We are certainly happy to have Cody here this year."

"Thank you, Mrs. Smith. I'll look over this, and if I need any thing clarified, I'll set up a time." Emily said, smiling at the woman she'd pegged as slightly OCD. "I'm afraid I really need to get back to work, now, though. Cody, are you ready?"

"Yep." Cody nodded. "Are we still going to the video store?"

"And the bookstore, so we better get a move on before Hotch sends out a search party for me." Emily nodded to the teacher and took Cody's hand. "Then tonight you can tell me _everything _that happened today, ok?"

"Yep. Can we have pizza for dinner, tonight?" Cody's eyes were pleading, and Emily laughed.

"How about we go out for pizza on the way home, and then we watch the movie when we get home?"

"Sounds like a plan." Cody said. "I'll tell you all about how the balloon in this girl Candice's bra busted and got water everywhere."

"_Burst. _The word is burst, kiddo."

"Burst, then." Cody shrugged. "Why would she want to put a balloon in her bra, anyway?"

"Hmmm. Let me think on that one, ok?" Emily's mouth quirked, while her brain was trying to determine just what she wanted the little girl to know. "It's complicated."

"It's the whole sex thing, isn't it?"


	10. Chapter 10

FIND TEN

Emily's brows rose, her only physical reaction to the question. Years as a profiler, and as the ambassador's daughter had made her immune to outward signs of surprise. She waited until the little girl was in the front seat of the car before answering. "The sex thing?"

"I did see sex before." The little girl said, buckling her seatbelt. "Rodney tried, remember?"

"Honey, are you ready to tell me _exactly _what happened with Rodney?" Emily asked, waiting to start the car. She wanted the girl to know she had Emily's full attention.

"He came into my room. Started to take my clothes off. But I kicked him. Down there." Cody's voice broke, and Emily brushed the dark bangs off the girl's suddenly sweaty forehead. The little girl's words began pouring out. "But it didn't stop him. He kept trying. Kept touching me. But then _she _pulled in. I heard her car, and he stopped. Told me not to say a word. Not to tell her. But I did. And she didn't believe me. But they locked me in my room, only let me go to school. But they told the teachers I couldn't get on the internet. Couldn't use email. Said it was against our religion or something. So I couldn't email you. And they wouldn't let me use the phone. Then he tried again. And she was home. But she didn't help me. So I grabbed my bag. I had it already packed under my bed. And I had money. And I ran. Then you found me. But it took so long."

"I'm so sorry, baby." Emily said, her own voice tight. "I didn't know. I wish I hadn't had to send you there, Cody. But you will never be going back there. You are _safe_ with me. And I'll make sure it stays that way. Understand?"

"Yes." The little girl said, brushing the tears from her cheeks. She looked at the window. "Sex is disgusting, it's dirty, and gross, and sweaty. Awful. Why do people do it?"

"Sex between the right people is _not _all of those things, sweetheart. And sex is supposed to be something done between two people who care about each other a lot. It's not, should never be, someone hurting someone else." Emily found herself repeating some of the same things her mother had told her twenty-two years ago. "When it feels _right _with someone it can be wonderful."

"So you've had the sex stuff?" Cody asked, bluntly.

"Yes." Emily felt exceedingly uncomfortable, but she knew Cody needed utter honesty right now. "I've had sex with men I've cared about."

"A lot of the sex stuff?" Cody asked.

"I don't know about that." Emily said. "But I've had healthy relationships in the past, and honey, _sex_ is a part of that."

"Oh. And it's not that disgusting? I watched Tracy and Spike a few times, they didn't know I was there." Cody admitted. "She always made weird noises, like it was hurting her. But I didn't think _Spike _would hurt her."

"People do make noises, but not because it hurts." Emily said. "But remember, it's only ok when it's between two people who really care about each other. And it takes a long time to know if you really care about someone enough to want to have sex with them. Understand? It's not something you just do casually, or because others are doing it. Or because some boy tells you that you have to."

"Ok." Cody said, nodding. "Can we get two movies tonight?"

Emily agreed, grateful the conversation was over. The resilience of children never failed to amaze her. And maybe, just maybe, they'd taken that first step to ensuring Cody recovered emotionally from the attempted attack on her.

The rest of the day past uneventfully. They stopped for pizza, watched the Wizard of Oz and the Sound of Music, and Emily tucked the girl into the former guest bedroom. The walls had already been a soft sand pink color, and they'd found a nice set of blankets and curtains and accessories that were age appropriate that Cody had liked. The little girl's rapidly growing collection of material goods were spread over the room and Emily had wondered briefly as she pulled the blankets up to the little chin whether she should insist the girl clean the room.

She settled back downstairs, several files spread over the bar. She'd waited until the child was asleep before even pulling the work from her bag. There were some things the girl did not need to see. Her files were some of them. Plus she'd actually fallen behind in her paperwork this week, so she was in for at least a few hours of catch-up now that the kid was asleep.

She worked diligently for nearly an hour before her eyes began to drop. It had been just as stressful for her as it had been Cody, and a few extra minutes of sleep wouldn't be a hardship.

The screams woke her from a nearly sound sleep, her arms were pillowed on her head, and several crime scene photos had been knocked to the floor. But she paid them no heed as she jumped from the barstool and rushed up the stairs to Cody's room. She had a good idea of what was going on, and it made perfect sense.

"Cody, baby?" Emily said as she flipped the light switch by the door. The little girl was sitting in the middle of the bed, covers gripped tightly, as she screamed at the top of her lungs. "It's ok, I'm here. It's ok."

"Emily! I couldn't find you! You were gone, you said you'd never go away again! But Rodney made you go away!"

Emily pulled the child into her arms, rubbing her back soothingly. She'd expected the nightmares to resurface. It had had been too easy, and she'd known they were in a false peace. Starting a new school, getting a new routine, plus the conversation about sex had dragged it all back up for the child.

Logically, Emily knew that was a good thing for the child's emotional future. But it sure didn't feel good as she sat there listening to the girl's cries. Emily knew what nightmares were like.

She only wished her mother had been able to be there to help her get through hers. But the ambassador had often had to work—social gatherings were just as much work as anything Emily had ever done.

"Cody, you need to take a few deep breaths, sweetie. It was just a dream." Emily said, firmly. She'd done the same for JJ on the rare occasions the younger woman had woken up in the hotel room in a similar state as Cody. Just as JJ had done for Emily when her own ghosts rose to haunt her. They knew all about nightmares in the BAU.

"No. Rodney's going to come!" The child yelled, her fists striking the bed, the pillow—the woman holding her. Emily winced as the little fist made contact with her bottom lip. "He's going to find me, and he's going to find you! He's going to make you go away! Then it'll be me he makes go away!"

"Sweetheart, Rodney cannot get you here. I won't let him." Emily said, firmly, keeping her voice calm. "I am a trained agent remember? Rodney wouldn't be that stupid. He wouldn't come here. And even if I have to go out of town for a few days, you'll be safe with Penelope. Or the ambassador. Remember? We have a plan. We will always have some sort of plan. You will never have to go anywhere, understand?"

"I don't believe you!" Cody yelled. "He'll find me, he will, he will he will."

It took Emily another forty-five minutes to get the child calmed back down, and only the promise that the little girl could sleep with Emily got her back to sleep. Emily's bed was big enough, but she was not used to sleeping with a restless little girl. It was a long night for the profiler.

An extremely long night. As she laid there, she couldn't help but wonder if that night was just the beginning of tough times ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

(Ok…I don't know if this will be H/P or not…the characters seem to want to address other things at the moment…maybe it will end up being an whole'nother series for me…who knows….)

Wednesday was a full repeat of Tuesday, with a few variations. Jason Collins picked his son up again, and Emily was sure he was flirting with her. She didn't exactly flirt back, but it was tempting. She'd learned one other important fact about the school—the single fathers outside were there to hunt the single mothers, and not just to pick up there children. Emily wasn't going to play that game, though there'd been several unspoken invitations.

Cody went uncomplaining to the BAU, where she worked diligently on her homework, with only a few distractions. They had dinner, discussed possible chores—Emily had decided the kid _had _to keep her room at the minimum, safe and orderly, if not clean—and then Cody played a few video games, read a bit of the book Emily had given her, and went to bed.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe tonight she'd get caught up on the paperwork she'd brought home with her. Nearly an hour into it, the screaming started.

Once again Emily ended up with a twelve year old in her bed, and almost no sleep.

Thankfully, Thursday was one of the most uneventful days the BAU had ever seen, and Emily almost cried in relief. She picked Cody up, received several appreciative glances from the gathering of fathers, and headed back to the BAU, extremely exhausted.

Thursday night was a repeat of Wednesday, and Friday morning Emily was running on fumes and very strong coffee. Cody was acting out, her own troubled sleep making her cranky and irritable. It wasn't an easy morning, for either Prentiss. Emily dropped the girl off at school ten minutes later than normal, and hurried over to the BAU.

She should have known from the way her morning had already gone that JJ would have identified a case. A case clear across the country—Seattle. Emily didn't complain, that wasn't her way, but she wasn't the least bit happy about it. But she'd known it would happen eventually. The first moment she had a chance she ran back to her car, grabbing the ready bag she and Cody had packed for this very thing. Inside it was two school uniforms—Emily had purchased extra—three outfits, socks, underwear, books and a spare video-game system, all the things they'd decided she'd need for an extended stay. Emily thanked God for Garcia. The blonde tech would pick Cody up after class, and keep her at the BAU until Emily's mother could get there to take the little girl until Sunday evening. If Emily wasn't back from Seattle by Sunday evening, the little girl was to go _back _to Garcia's. Garcia would shuttle her to school and keep her during the week. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only solution Emily could think of for right then.

Emily was the last one to the jet. She'd spent several minutes on the phone with Cody's school, and then Cody herself. The little girl wasn't happy with Emily leaving, but both Prentiss's knew there weren't any other options.

Still, it was a very subdued Emily who settled into her seat between Hotch and JJ. She took the file the younger woman handed her, but said nothing. She just wasn't ready to talk to anyone just yet.

Hotch knew something was bothering her from the moment she stepped on the plane. Her face was slightly more pale than usual, her fingers trembled slightly, and her eyes were suspiciously wet. He knew what it was, he'd experienced it himself nearly every time he took Jack back to Hayley after a weekend visit.

It was the first time she'd left the little girl, and she had to be feeling nearly sick. He unconsciously wrapped a hand around her arm, squeezing reassuringly. He leaned closer to her while the others were busy flipping through their files. "Everything ok?"

"I don't know." Emily admitted, turning to look at him. "I know I can't stay with her forever, it wouldn't be good for either of us. But I didn't think it would be _this _hard."

"I could lie to you, tell you it gets easier to leave them, but I won't." He leaned closer, close enough to smell the slightly fruity scent of her shampoo. "But it does get easier for _them _to leave us. In time."

"God, how long?" Emily sighed, her hand clenching on her file. "I'm not sure that _now _is the best time for me to be away. But then again, she has to learn to be self-sufficient, too. Is it always this confusing?"

"Being a parent? Every damned day." He admitted. Their dark heads were close as they whispered, their shoulders touching.

Nobody on the opposite side of the plane missed it. They weren't used to seeing Hotch and Emily _that _close together, especially Dave and Derek. Spencer and JJ had noticed, but weren't giving it that much thought.

Dave watched Aaron speculatively, noticing the way the man's body had unconsciously leaned toward the woman beside him, the way his arm had moved behind her back to comfort her. He'd definitely not missed the way Hotch was looking down at her, his eyes unconsciously softened. It got Dave thinking about Emily and Hotch in a way he hadn't before. It was…interesting, those thoughts. He wondered briefly if _Aaron _had ever entertained those kind of thoughts about the beautiful woman beside him.

Derek watched his colleague's face for any sign of what was bothering her, though he had a pretty good suspicion. Raising a kid wasn't easy—especially if you'd only been doing it for little more than a week. And he'd noticed both Emily and Cody were looking a little worn down the last two days. He'd lay money on the fact that both pretty Prentisses weren't sleeping. That had to be tough for Emily, and it wouldn't surprise him if she needed just a little help with this case. He made a vow to keep an eye on her. He also didn't miss the way _Hotch _was eying her. The way Hotch was leaning in a little closer—probably to hear her words, his hearing wasn't quite back yet—the way Hotch's hand was stroking the bare skin of Emily's arm, though neither really appeared aware of it as they spoke. Derek wondered what they were talking about. Wondered if Hotch knew what his body language was telling Derek. Derek wondered when their feelings for each other had really changed. Was it after New York? St. Louis last week? Derek didn't know, but now that he'd noticed, it would bear watching. He gave it a little more thought, as he watched the two covertly. Emily and Hotch's suits were nearly the same charcoal gray, though she wore a silk camisole beneath the stylish jacket. The silk was of an ice blue that was flattering to her coloring, and it nearly matched the blue tie that Hotch wore perfectly. They looked like to complementary parts of the same whole, and he wondered why he'd never noticed how good they looked together before. It was something he'd definitely have to keep an eye on. Just for curiosity's sake, if nothing else.


	12. Chapter 12

Seattle was hard for Emily from the moment the plane landed around six that evening—Seattle time. It was nine DC time. They'd hit the ground running, ready bags slung over shoulders, those who carried laptops—Emily and Spencer—had computer bags slung over their chests as well. They moved at a fast clip, meeting the Seattle liaison near the edge of the government airstrip.

He was an attractive man, sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and a nice smile. He smiled more noticeably at JJ and Emily than he did the four men. Nobody missed it, but it didn't matter to anyone. They were there to work, and that's what they'd do. They piled into the large SUV, and rolled to the downtown Seattle precinct.

Emily took advantage of the few minutes in limbo to make a quick call. Her mother picked up on the first ring. "_Hello, Emily."_

"Hello, Mother." Emily said, her voice unconsciously adopting the slightly formal tone she always used with the ambassador. Everyone listening in the car hadn't missed it. It had become abundantly clear that Emily and Elizabeth Prentiss weren't the closest mother-daughter pair just a few months after Emily had joined the BAU, and her mother had been involved in a case. "How are things going there?"

"_We're just fine, dear." _

"Can I speak to her?" Emily asked in a low voice, one hand covering her free ear. She listened to the sounds on the other end of the line and then the little voice spoke.

"_Hi, Mom." _

"Hi sweetie, I can't talk long. I just wanted to see how your day went." Emily kept her voice low, not wanting _everyone _in the car privy to her discussion. "Did you have a better day this afternoon?"

"_Ryan Collins' dad wanted to know where you were."_

"Did he? What did you tell him?"

"_I told him you were with Mr. Hotch. And that Mr. Hotch would be keeping you for a few days, but you'd call me from the hotel room. And that I was going to my grandma's."_

Emily snorted, imagining the way the man _might _have interpreted that statement. "And what did he say to that piece of information?"

"_He just said, oh. And he wondered who Mr. Hotch was, but I just told him he was the guy you were with sometimes. Is that ok?"_ Cody laughed, a wicked little giggle that let Emily know exactly what the little gremlin was up to. _"He got a really funny look in his eyes."_

"Did he?" Emily asked, once her laughter was a little more contained. Hotch was looking at her, a small grin on his own lips and she wondered what he would think if he'd known of his apparent role in Cody's little lie. "And did you mislead him on purpose, Cody Ann?"

"_I gotta go, Mom. Here's Grandma Beth again."_

Emily spoke with her mother for a few more minutes before disconnecting. Then it was time to put new-mom Emily back into her compartment, and bring out Profiler Prentiss.

Emily and JJ were to begin on victimology right away, and Emily began setting up as soon as the basic introductions were made at the precinct. JJ usually handled most of the communication with the local precincts and this was no exception. That left Emily to set up the computer connection with Garcia. The blonde had nothing informative at the moment—in fact, she wasn't even at her computer when Emily messaged her. She'd sat a sign in front of her monitor's webcam that said she'd be back in an hour, that she had nothing and wouldn't for quite a while.

With the differing time zones they were in, it was past dinner time in Washington. Emily couldn't help but think of what Cody must have done for dinner. Would the ambassador's cook make kid friendly options? Poor little girl. Emily felt like she'd abandoned her, even though she knew the ambassador was perfectly capable of taking care of Cody for a few days.

What kind of mother was Emily when the only babysitter she could find was clear across state lines?

Several hours later, Hotch, Dave, and the rest of the boys, as well as the local agent and half dozen local LEOs were milling about the conference room, waiting. Garcia finally buzzed in. Emily hit the speaker button and greeted her friend. "Hey Garcia, what have you got for us?"

"For the team—it's flying over the transom as we speak. Nothing too interesting, I'm afraid. But for you personally, my dear Goddess of the Weird and Strange—I have a bone to pick." The blonde tech's words had a little bit of heat in them, but she winked real big. Emily leaned closer to the computer while the rest of the team moved back a little. They all knew that Garcia and Emily often 'chatted' through the webcams.

"What happened?" Emily asked, mind running over what picking up Cody would have entailed. "Was everything alright?"

"Calm down, mama-profiler. Everything with the kid was fine. But why on earth didn't you tell me about the Single Father Feeding Frenzy at that school?" Garcia asked, her tone turning slightly comically panicked. "I barely made it out of there alive!"

"Oh, did I forget to warn you about that?" Emily asked, innocently. "Must have slipped my mind. Anyone in particular give you a hard time?"

"Oh, no. Not a hard time." Garcia snorted, "But I have something for you."

"What?"

"Well, at least _six _somethings, to be exact." Garcia reached off the screen and returned with a small handful of scrap papers. "Phone numbers. Single fathers everyone of them. And they all couldn't wait to ask Cody where her mother was. Let's see, Thomas J. Ledbetter, Glenn Allen, Isaiah Louis, Ronald Michaels, Martin Heinz, and my favorite—Jason Collins. What should I do with them? Should I stick them on your desk for when you return?"

"Oh, God, Garcia. Toss them, please." Emily felt the heat flooding her cheeks as JJ and Derek laughed. Dave and Hotch's lips were twitching, too. Reid just watched the rest of the team. "I swear its like a jungle there. Horrible."

"But they weren't all bad." Garcia snickered. "And Collins certainly seemed persistent, until Cody's little explanation of where you were. Have you heard it, yet?"

"Yes. She, uh, informed me of it earlier. No need to share it with the rest of the team. So did you see this face he supposedly made?" Emily snickered, again, thinking of the what the little girl had implied.

"Completely crestfallen. But he still gave you his number for when you returned." Garcia giggled, then, and Emily laughed outright.

"Garcia—did you bother _correcting _her?" Emily asked.

"Nope. I left that for you. See it as your punishment. And don't you worry, she was trundled off to her new grandma with no fuss. Should have seen your mother's face when she asked if she could call her 'granny' though. Priceless. Now, I gotta go. Garcia over and out!" The screen went dark, leaving Emily and the rest of the team forming a semi-circle around it. Emily turned toward the rest of the team.

"Single Father Feeding Frenzy?" Derek asked, one brow rising inquiringly. "What the hell is that?"

"Derek, that is something you really do not want to know." Emily began, as she stood and began packing things up. They'd check into the hotel and find dinner before heading to bed. The time changes always threw them off a little—their bodies were ready to sleep when everyone else was having dinner. It didn't ever get any easier. "Let's just say that the parking lot at Lenbrook Academy is like a single-male feeding ground worse than _any _bar I've ever been in. And they are relentless."

JJ snickered, remembering Emily's words from a few days ago. "So not going to happen, huh?"

Emily wadded up a piece of notebook paper and threw it at JJ. She missed and it bounced off Hotch's chest. "Sorry, Hotch. But she deserved it."

"What was that for?" Hotch asked, one hand moving to rest on the small of Emily's back as he walked between her and JJ. He did similarly to JJ with his other hand, as he and the two women exited the police station, just behind the rest of the team.

Emily laughed, lightly, and Hotch could feel the motion against his hand. "Hotch, there are some things you really do not need to know."


	13. Chapter 13

FIND Thirteen

Dinner consisted of McDonald's—everyone was too tired to even contemplate going anywhere that would have a wait involved. Emily and JJ settled for Happy Meals, much to the teasing of the men. JJ handed her toy to Emily who stuffed it in her bag. Garcia always appreciated it when the women brought her back new toys for her collection.

"You two have got to be kiddin' me." Derek said, stealing one of JJ's apple slices. "Happy Meals and toys?"

"We don't need anymore food than this." JJ said, indignantly.

"And the toys are for Penelope. She needs these two to have the whole set." Emily added.

Derek just looked at Emily before turning to Hotch. "Tell me the truth, Hotch—do _you_ understand those three?"

Emily and JJ both looked toward Hotch, leaning forward slightly in their chairs. JJ was the only one to speak. "Yes, Hotch, do you understand us?"

"I'm smart enough to know not to even try." Hotch said, completely deadpanned. "Something about what Morgan always says about women and guns."

"Smart man." Emily said, approvingly, just as her cell phone started ringing. "Excuse me."

"_Emily." _The ambassador's voice was worried, and Emily unconsciously stiffened in her chair. Hotch saw the movement and moved a little closer without thought. It…bothered…him to see her so stressed. She never struggled, not that he'd ever seen, and he'd depended on that. Seeing her so uncertain was a little harder for him than it should have been. His hand found it's way to the back of her chair, his fingers ghosting through her hair slightly.

He was barely aware of his movements, and she hadn't noticed at all. Dave hadn't missed it, though, and neither had Derek. Neither man said anything, just filed it away for later.

"Mother, what's the matter? Is Cody alright?" Emily's voice rose a little on the end, and the rest of the team grew quiet.

"_A nightmare. I can't get her to sleep. She's insisted on speaking with you."_

"Ok, give me a minute, Mother. I'm going outside, then you can put her on the line." Emily stood, her eyes just happening to meet Hotch's. She saw the concern and understanding in his dark gaze and she had to look away. She couldn't retain her composure knowing he'd seen through her so obviously easy.

Hotch watched through the window as Emily spoke into her phone. She paced a little, going maybe six or eight feet each way. Her hand rose to rub her forehead, and his heart went out to her, seeing the strain on her face. The rest of the team were just finishing their meals, though the lightheartedness of a few moments ago was gone. They still had a case to finish, and Hotch half thought the others were watching the same woman he was. They'd never seen this side of Emily, and it worried Hotch. Bothered him.

Emily closed her phone, but made no move to come back inside the restaurant. Her hand fell away from her forehead, the other one dropping to hang by her side, still clutching her cell phone. He'd never seen her that defeated. Never, in the year and a half she'd been with the unit. When she reached a hand up and wiped a tear away, he moved. He paid no attention to the others behind him, just opened the glass door and approached her carefully. "Emily?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, are we leaving?" Her words were vague and she didn't look at him. The streetlamps reflected off the tear streaks on her cheeks. "I didn't mean to hold everyone up."

"Hey, you didn't. Is she ok?" He moved a little closer, one hand moving to wrap around her arm, to pull her to him slightly. It was something he'd started doing when his hearing had first been damaged, pulling her closer to hear her as she explained whatever it was he'd missed. He'd trusted her judgment, her evaluations of things, and felt more comfortable with her than he had Derek, Dave, or Reid—even JJ. She'd had no _real_ expectations of him. She hadn't seen him as a friend, a leader, or a mentor. She'd just seen him as a superior agent who'd been going through a hard time. So she'd done what she could to keep the team flowing the way it should. And if that meant he'd started pulling her close to him when he needed to, she'd accepted that. She'd grown used to it, he'd grown to doing it more than regularly, and everyone else had grown used to seeing it.

This time was different, but only Hotch realized it. She was a tall woman, only half a head shorter than him, but he still moved her close into his chest. "Want to talk about it?"

"Nightmares." Emily said, slipping her cell phone into her pocket. She leaned into him, almost unaware. "Bad ones. Wakes up screaming, fights me. Cries. Nothing I didn't expect. I've been letting her sleep in my bed, but now…"

His hand rose, warm and covering her back. "It'll just take time."

"I know. But it's hard to hear her crying. But my mother can handle it. Lord knows, she's done it before. She did with me and I sure wasn't an easy child." Emily wasn't really paying attention to what she said, just grateful to have someone to lean on for a moment. It was easier—talking to another parent, even one whose child was considerably younger than Cody. "And the nightmares, they never really go away, do they? But you learn to deal with them. I did. Cody will. I know that. But this is horrible, and I can't be there."

Hotch hadn't missed what she said, and he'd think of the significance of her words later. "Hey, you're doing the best you can. That's all you can do. And Cody will see that. You're taking care of her, and she's with someone who loves her, too. She's lucky to have you Emily. She really is."

Emily looked up at him, before looking away, out across the parking lot. "Time, huh?"

"I know that sounds trite and insincere, but we both know that's often all we can do." Hotch pulled her closer, the hug just a little past professional. To him, he was offering a friend comfort during a difficult time.

To her, it was receiving comfort at one of the lowest points she could remember in a long time.

To the four people watching through the McDonalds window it was…enlightening.

"That's different." Dave said, as he watched Hotch's head lower slightly in Emily's direction.

"Never thought I'd see that." Derek agreed, remembering how cold the two had been to each other for at least the first year Emily'd been with the BAU.

"It's intriguing." Reid agreed. "He was more than a bit dependent on her after the explosions."

"Think they have any clue what that looks like?" JJ asked, watching her friend carefully.

"No. Not yet." Dave said. "It makes sense, though. They have a lot in common, are the right age. And now both are parents. He grew to be dependent on her when he needed someone, she's starting to lean on him."

Derek nodded. "And they certainly _look _good together. And Emily's one hell of a woman. Complex, and Hotch's the same way. It might be good for him. _She'd _definitely not pull a _Hayley _on him."

JJ was the only one who didn't think what they were seeing was all that great. But then again, she wasn't a profiler. Just a woman and a friend. "Still, is this really what Emily needs right now? I'm not so sure."


	14. Chapter 14

PRENTISS FIND 14

It took another two days for them to catch the guy. It was a simple bit of information combined with a phone tip, and it was over. It had been more than difficult for Emily, and she'd had less than three good hours of sleep the entire time in Seattle. Cody had called her at least twice each night, nearly hysterical because she couldn't find Emily. Even the ambassador was wearing thin, though Emily could hear the worry and sadness in her mother's voice when they spoke.

That was the one good thing about this—Elizabeth and Emily were finally starting to communicate. Maybe the old adage about grandchildren bridging the gap between generations was true. Emily had always tried to look for silver linings. This time it was difficult.

An early morning call came Monday, pulling the entire team into the precinct. Emily hadn't managed to return to sleep after Cody's last call—this time from Garcia's home line, and it was all she could do, even with the strongest coffee she could find, to even walk _into_ the station. She felt inordinately guilty for thrusting the burden of Cody's nightmares on Garcia's shoulders. But the blonde woman had said she could handle it, and what other choice did Emily really have?

Not much of one. But once she returned from Seattle, she'd be making that first appointment with a child psychiatrist. Cody needed more help than the profiler could give her.

Emily and JJ were left at the precinct while Derek, Rossi, Reid, and Hotch went to the man's home with the local police force, all before three in the morning. The local FBI agent—Mike Kenyon—stayed behind to assist the women in the paperwork and whatever else they needed. He didn't mind the assignment, and took the opportunity to flirt both women up, especially the dark-haired agent who didn't wear a ring. And wasn't so obviously pregnant.

Any other time and Emily would have been flattered, but she was completely and utterly exhausted. Cody'd called her twice after she'd tried to lie down—at nearly one a.m. and four a.m. DC time. Emily was floating on fumes and JJ for one, hadn't missed it. She distracted the local agent and sent him on an errand before confronting her friend. "Em. Take a break before you fall over."

"I'm good, Jay." Emily said, though she couldn't suppress a yawn.

"You're dead on your feet, is what you are." JJ contradicted, physically guiding the older woman down into a chair, "And you won't be any good to Cody—or yourself—when we get home unless you're rested."

"I'll rest on the plane." Emily argued.

"And who knows when we'll get to the plane?"

"A few hours at the most." A male voice they both recognized said from behind the two women. Hotch and the rest of the team stood in the entryway to the room. It was Hotch who had spoken. "Why don't you both take a break, while we finish up here? And Prentiss, don't argue. It won't do any good."

Emily closed her mouth, instead raising her arms to fold them beneath her head. She rested there against the desk for several long moments. It wasn't long before she drifted off, immune to the noise and bustle of the Seattle precinct.

Hotch and the rest of the team just worked around her, gathering all of their paperwork, files, and anything else they'd brought with them. Hotch packed Emily's laptop, sliding it back into the black leather bag she carried it in. He folded her jacket and put it beside her, he unconsciously brushed a hand over her back. The caress was gentle, and he didn't think before he did it. It was completely un-Hotch-like, yet it told those watching a lot. Only Dave watched, and filed it away for a later confrontation.

"Aaron?" The older man said, moving to stand beside the team leader, as Morgan, JJ, and Reid moved to carry their loads to the SUV waiting to shuttle them to the airport. Copies of pictures, forms, and evidence would have to be carried back to the BAU for safe-keeping. Just standard policy.

"Yeah, Dave?" Hotch asked, from his new position sitting on the desk near Emily's dark head. "What is it?"

"What's going on between you two?" Dave knew being blunt was best with Aaron.

"Excuse me?" Hotch's surprise was evident only to the other profiler. "What do you mean?"

"Something's different between you two." Dave said, waving one hand at the sleeping woman. "What is going on? Is it something the team should know about?"

"There's nothing going on between Emily and myself." Hotch said, keeping his voice low. Both men heard the defensive tone creep in.

"I think there is." Dave took a deep breath before continuing. "And I think it's a good thing."

"Excuse me?" Hotch said again. "Dave, have you lost your mind?"

"No. Emily needs someone right now. She's confused, and I think it would be good for both of you if you help her out right now. You're the only other parent on the team, right? I think she needs you right now. So what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean, what am _I _going to do about it?" Hotch asked, relaxing slightly. "We're friends, so of course I'll be there for her. I think she knows that, now."

Dave smiled, inwardly laughing at the apparent cluelessness of the profiler before him. Surely Hotch knew that his actions were more of a lover than as a friend.

Derek and Emily were relatively close friends, but the younger man wasn't seen running a hand over his colleague's shoulder. Wasn't seen rushing to her side when she was upset. And it wasn't Derek, or Reid, or JJ, or even Dave himself that Aaron had turned to after New York. Instead it had been the woman Hotch wasn't the least little bit close to. In any way. And look what had happened between them as soon as he'd taken that first step.

Dave placed one hand on the woman's back, watching Hotch's eyes darken at his action. He had his answer. "Then if it's just friendship, Aaron. Why does it bother you if I touch her? Plan on _touching_ her yourself?"

Hotch just glared at the older man. They were interrupted by Morgan and Reid coming back in. Derek looked at the two men, puzzled at seeing them both so close to the sleeping Emily. "SUV's ready. JJ's already in her seat sound asleep. Better wake Em and get rolling."

Dave pulled his hand off her shoulder and shrugged meaningfully at the team leader. "I'll leave that last bit up to you, Hotch. Think about what I said."

Hotch wanted to bite out a retort, but looked at the woman sleeping. "I'll do that, Dave. Come on. If we get the plane off the ground soon, she'll be able to pick up Cody on the way from the airport."

"You heard the man," Derek said, grabbing Emily's bags from the floor by the desk and swinging them over his strong shoulder. "And lets move!"


	15. Chapter 15

_The novel is kicking off pretty well, so updates to fanfiction MIGHT slow down slightly. Probably. I am in the process of having my original characters chased by a psycho, and that does take quite a bit of time and writer-energy. For a preview of my novel you can visit my website at homepages. ius. edu /bgoller/bridgetgoller (minus spaces) Without further ado...here's..._

PRENTISS'S FIND FIFTEEN

Emily slept on the plane. Hotch had woken her at the precinct, and she'd not said a word to anyone. She was still more than exhausted, and they all could see it. Hotch knew if she didn't rest, didn't take better care of herself, she'd break. He'd watched her, eyes unknowingly full of concern, as she'd pulled a blanket out of an overhead compartment and almost fell onto the bench seat. Her eyes were closed less than three seconds later. He moved to sit at the other end of the bench, his thigh less than three inches from her head. He leaned his head back, and his own eyes closed.

It was two hours before he awoke. The rest of the team—with the exception of the still sleeping Emily-were immersed in a whispered game of poker, and Hotch just sat there, watching them for a moment.

He loved and respected each and everyone of them in their own ways. Even the woman sleeping near his knee. He looked at her, taking in the deep, steady breathing, the hand fisted beside her dark head. She was more beautiful every day and the profiler in him understood the basis of that change. He'd studied attraction, of course. He understood why people focused on certain types—both physical and personality. He could clinically explain his changing attitude toward his colleague. But knowing the why-fors of something and _experiencing _them were two different things. He absently brushed the hair off her forehead, fingers lingering on the soft strands. She hummed, moved a little closer to the back of the bench, pulled the blanket a little tighter around herself, and he actually watched as she went even more deep into sleep.

She was a remarkably sensual woman, and he wondered briefly why he'd never noticed it before. Why he'd never let himself notice it about her. His mind reran his various memories of her—things he'd noticed that had stuck with him. The way she'd laughed at Reid's physics magic, the way she was always up for a beer with Dave—especially when the older man needed it, the way she was often one of the first ones in the office, downing coffee like crazy, the way she'd looked with blood dripping down her forehead after he'd sent her alone into the home of a serial killer, the way she'd bordered on disrespectful the first time she'd mentioned her hatred of politics, the way he'd noticed she was often one of the last ones _out, _the way she'd held Cody when they'd first found her, the way she guided and cared for the little girl when the child would be at the BAU. The way her face lit up when the little girl called her.

She was a remarkable woman, and Hotch wondered if Dave was right—did she need someone right now? Him? And what exactly did _he _want?

Could he see them forming a romantic relationship? He crossed one leg over his lap at the sudden and immediate reaction that caused. Apparently, his body was more than willing to consider the idea. Of course, it _had _been nearly a year since he'd been with a woman. Hotch would freely admit he was one of those men who had to truly care about a woman in order to have sex with her. Could he see himself having sex with one of his subordinates?

Maybe—if it was Emily.

Still, it would open a whole different can of worms, especially with Strauss and the BAU. Hotch wasn't naïve, he knew fraternization was a very real part of the Bureau—why else would they dedicate so many workshops on the subject? He knew it happened, and happened frequently, often times successfully. But did he really want to take that step? And what would she think?

He knew her life had suddenly gotten very complicated, and should he even be contemplating adding one more log to the fire?

Still, he knew what it was to be a parent, and he also knew some of the fears associated with being a _single _parent, although Hayley handled the majority of things with Jack. It was the nature of the job. But Emily was shouldering it all, and having to add Cody's obvious emotional problems to the list couldn't be easy. Not at all.

Should he even try with her? He didn't know. But if he proceeded, he'd have to do so carefully, and with a lot of planning and forethought. Too much was at stake—their careers, the team dynamics, not to mention the emotional well-being of two children. Hotch decided to take some time and think before treading very carefully.

He looked down at her once more, his mind suddenly filled with images of the two of them doing things together, both sexual and non. Then he imagined them doing things with both their children. It was a pleasant picture. His stomach started to heat, a familiar burn of fear and excitement. It was the same feeling he'd had the first time he'd seen Hayley. And it flat out shocked him that he'd be feeling it _now _after nearly a year and a half of knowing this woman. He'd acted on that feeling before, and it had led to a twenty year relationship. Yes, that had failed, but this time around he could be with a woman who actually understood the job and all it entailed. She'd understand that he couldn't always be there for the children—or her—because she'd face the same issues. Face them and deal with them because she'd had them, too.

That idea was more than a bit intriguing.

His fingers brushed through her hair once more, as he looked at her and wondered. He lay his head back again, closing his eyes, not to sleep. But to plan, and if he'd admit it to himself—to fantasize. To work out any angles or issues that might stand in their way, to plan for ways around them. To plot out exactly how he planned to seduce his subordinate.

Emily awoke an hour before the plane landed. She stared around blearily, eyes landing first on the man sitting nearest to her. His head was thrown back, and if she wasn't mistaken, his hand was stroking her hair. She was pretty certain it was an unconscious gesture so she paid it no mind. The man had been married for way more than a decade, and who knew what he was dreaming of? It didn't matter.

She stood slowly, smiling softly at the rest of the team as they teased her for sleeping so long. Hotch's eyes were opened, and he looked at her, but said nothing. He smiled softly, and she wondered at the slight look of calculation in his dark gaze.

Ten minutes later she was washed up and changed into fresh fatigues and bright red shirt. Red was such a cheerful color, it always made her feel a little better. She returned to the cabin, hair still damp from the quick washing she'd given it in the small airplane sink. She always felt better when she was clean. She sank back down onto the bench beside her supervisor, moving away slightly when her shoulder bumped his. He never said anything, but less than thirty seconds after she'd relaxed, she felt him just a little closer.

He didn't seem to mind sharing her space, and she just chalked it up to the changing, and developing, friendship between them. He was a steady source of support for her and she needed that. Was really coming to appreciate that.

He looked at her, taking in the damp hair that was now starting to curl, the freshly scrubbed face, devoid of any makeup. She looked good, she smelled good, and he'd bet all of Dave's money that she felt and tasted good, too. God, he wanted to lean closer and find out for himself.

"We should land in time to run by the school if you like." Was all he said. "Would save Garcia a trip, and I'm sure Cody would love to see you waiting for her."

"Could we?" Emily's eyes immediately went soft and vulnerable, and Hotch felt his hand moving before he'd even stopped to think. It wrapped around her smaller one, pulled it to his knee. Kept it captive there, for everyone to see. "I'd appreciate it."

"I know." He smiled, leaned just a little closer. Not too close, he didn't want to scare her off. "And it's never a problem, Emily. _She's _never a problem."


	16. Chapter 16

Emily gave Dave the directions to Cody's school. It was the older man's turn to drive, and he handled the wheel confidently. Emily practically bounced in the front seat where she'd sat to better give directions, and no one missed it. Hotch wasn't the only one who smiled as his eyes met Dave's in the rearview.

It was the same way he felt each and every time he drove to get Jack.

"Oh my god." JJ said, as the SUV pulled into the parking lot. "I see what Garcia meant by feeding frenzy."

Hotch actually felt his eyes widen at the disproportionate number of men milling about on the school steps. "IS it always like this?'

"Yes. Sometimes it's worse." Emily admitted. "Trick is just to keep your head down, and move fast. And don't encourage any of them."

"It's a _school." _Reid said. "They do this at a school?"

"Surprised me, too." Emily admitted. "Now, who's going up there with me? If someone's with me, it'll take half as much time. JJ?"

"Sure, I'm in." The blonde agreed. "But you'll have to point out the ones who gave Garcia their numbers for you."

"Why?" Reid asked.

"Screening process." The blonde said, snickering. "Garcia's checked them out, now it's my turn."

"JJ…" Emily's voice was warning. "I mean it, absolutely do not encourage any of them. I have to come here again tomorrow, alone. Remember? And these guys are like untrained dogs, smile at them once and their liable to follow you home."

"Come on." Hotch said, hand dropping to his door handle. He'd have to move to let the blonde out, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to accompany the two up the steps. Wouldn't hurt anything at all. "The bigger the group the less likely you are to be bothered. Who else wants to go?"

"Reid." Morgan volunteered the younger guy. "It'll do him good to see how guys go about picking up women."

"But." The genius protested from his seat behind Hotch.

"Come on." Hotch said. Nobody missed the way his lips twitched at the panicked look on the younger man's face. "We have two minutes before the bell, right?"

"Right. Of course, Cody _almost _always is the last one out." Emily shook her head. "I've not been able to figure out why yet."

JJ and Emily linked elbows, moving to walk in front of the two men. Hotch kept his eyes peeled on the group of men, most dressed in suits or casual khakis similar to what Hotch and Reid were dressed in. A few people—men _and _women—called greetings to Emily and she returned them, a ready smile on her face as she settled against the stone half wall about midway up the steps. Hotch moved to stand beside her in the crowded area, his shoulder bumping hers. One hand moved to rest behind her on the cold concrete, freeing up space. He also knew what it looked like to the casual observer. He counted on it.

Emily was vaguely aware of Hotch's warmth beside her and his hand behind her as she finished her conversation with JJ. Reid stood awkwardly in front of the two women, hair everywhere and tie askew. He looked barely older than some of the high school kids she'd seen ambling out of the building across the parking lot.

Jason Collins sidled up, smiling and saying her name and she returned the greeting. She had come to a decision regarding his obvious interest, and she knew he wouldn't be happy about it. She'd decided she just didn't have the time to devote to a romantic relationship right now, not with Cody needing her so deeply. She leaned in to Hotch just a little, an unconscious seeking of support. He reciprocated, and she watched Collins' eyes darken a little. Then she remembered what Cody had told him about Hotch. Her lips fought a smile at the little girl's machinations. They might just come in handy for letting the man down easily. "Hello, Jason, how are you?"

"Fine. Did you have a pleasant trip? Cody said you were out of town for a few days." He moved closer, actually turned his body to half block Hotch's. He was determined, and Emily hadn't realize the depth of that determination until seeing the movement. Emily stood a little straighter and moved toward her supervisor, feeling _him _mimicking the movement. Soon she was leaning completely against the warmth of his chest.

"I wouldn't call it pleasant, but we accomplished what we set out to do." Emily said. She hadn't told him anything about her job, and wouldn't go into detail now. The kids began filing out, but Collins showed no signs of ending his attempted conversation with Emily. JJ moved closer, her elbow catching Emily in the side. Emily took the hint and introduced the three other agents, ending with Hotch. "And this is my supervisor, Aaron Hotchner. Hotch, Jason Collins."

The two men shook hands, and Emily was struck by the physical similarities between the two. They were both around the same age, and the same height. Their suits were of similar cuts and cost. Collins' hair was a few shades lighter, and his eyes were more hazel. Both were handsome men, but Collins' face wasn't as harsh as Hotch's could be. Wasn't as intimidating, and if Emily was honest with herself, wasn't quite as interesting. From a purely profiling standpoint, of course. Hotch just looked like he'd _lived _a little more.

Hotch shook the man's hand, still not removing his arm from behind Emily. He could smell her shampoo, a slightly floral scent that tightened his stomach. Her red shirt clung in all the right places, and he knew the other man hadn't missed it. He'd seen the way his eyes had dropped, giving Emily the once-over.

Hotch hadn't liked the threat to his new plans one bit. Still, he prided himself on being a civilized man, so he refrained from doing what his primitive urges were telling him. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it. Nor would she understand it.

Before anything else could be said, a shouted _mom! _had the group turning. Hotch both heard and felt the small squeal that Emily released. She jerked, moving around Collins and meeting Cody halfway up the stairs. Everyone watched as she scooped the little girl up.

Cody dropped her backpack, her skinny arms wrapping around Emily's neck. Her legs wrapped around Emily's waist, and Emily just held her.

Apparently the separation had been just as traumatic for the woman as the little girl. Hotch heard JJ sniffle beside him, saw Reid just watching his usually unflappable colleague acting more emotional than they'd ever seen her.

Hotch moved forward, bending down to pick up the little girl's bag. He dropped one hand to Emily's back, helping her down the steps with her still crying burden. Emily's eyes were wet as she looked up at him.

She whispered a soft _thank you, _and blinked back the tears. Hotch actually felt his face soften as he looked at the two beautiful brunettes. His hand rubbed the small of her back, pulling her slightly into him as they walked passed that damned Collins and were joined by Reid and JJ.

"Thanks, Mr. Hotch." Cody said, looking up from her mother's shoulder as they reached the parking lot.

"For what, Cody?" He was surprised, the little girl never spoke to him directly, was always wary of him.

"Aunt Pen said you'd keep my mom safe and bring her home—and you did."


	17. Chapter 17

Hotch sat in his office later that day, watching the proceedings down in the bullpen, and thinking about how it felt to actually fall in love in a matter of seconds.

Cody had looked at him with such love and trust, and pure blind _faith _that he'd been immediately captured by _her. _And thenEmily had smiled at the little girl,at Hotch, a soft expression in her dark eyes—softer than he'd ever seen her look at him, and it was official. He was gone, over the edge, hook line and sinker, for both of them. It had been all he could do _not _to lean in and kiss the beautiful woman, to hug the sweet little girl.

He didn't have to give Dave's words any more thought, didn't have to question his intentions anymore.

He knew what he wanted, and he knew he'd do everything in his power to get it. He stood, going to the window of his door, jus to watch what was happening below him a little better. Emily had her files spread before her, hard at work, as was Morgan and Reid. The rest of the team was nowhere to be found, and he assumed they were busy doing their own jobs. Cody sat directly beside her mother's desk. It still felt weird to Hotch, referring to Emily as someone's mother, even mentally, but he could plainly see that the two belonged together. He just hoped they had room for a couple of Hotchner men in their lives as well.

The little girl was sitting much closer than she had last week and Hotch wondered briefly if she'd react to Emily's recent absence by being clingy. It would be an expected reaction to her situation, and he hoped Emily was prepared for it.

As if hearing his thoughts, Emily stood. Cody stood, too, her little face showing anxiety as she watched Emily. He didn't know what Emily said to her, but Cody nodded, sinking back into her chair. He could see the way her hand clutched her schoolbook nervously, the way her eyes followed Emily as she moved toward the restroom. It broke Hotch's heart to see her so scared, in a place she'd grown so familiar with. It was a hard row Emily was hoeing, and he absolutely hated that she was dealing with it all on her own.

But he knew the purpose of Emily making the little girl stay at the desk while she left the room. The child had to grow comfortable being away from Emily. Had to. The little girl was fine, and both female faces soon relaxed just seconds after Emily returned. Cody turned her attention back to her schoolbook, her pencil scratching out on paper what Hotch suspected to be sixth grade math.

Hotch continued to stand there, peaking through his closed blinds at the woman and girl for nearly another hour. Just watching, and not feeling the least little bit of remorse. He was a studier of human behavior—they were humans in a situation that wasn't part of the norm. So his staring was, in fact, justified.

Or at least that's what he told himself.

Cody'd put the book away, repacked it carefully into her black bag. He watched her for a few minutes, saw the way her head dropped to rest on her arms against the end of Emily's desk. Her feet kicked, 

striking the edge of the desk. Emily said something and a mulish pout hit the little face. But she stopped kicking.

Soon she'd stopped pouting, and her little body was lax. Hotch smiled at the innocent way children had of falling asleep. Jack did the same thing, awake one minute, out the next. Completely limp.

Garcia and JJ soon walked in, as Hotch continued to watch, the tech carrying a leather bag that Hotch suspected carried Cody's supplies. He wondered if Garcia knew how big of a help she had actually been to Emily, keeping the little girl that way.

It showed the true depths of the friendship and loyalty Emily had managed to develop in the often-times unsung hero of their team.

Hotch's face tightened, as Garcia handed Emily the bag and the brunette's hand grasped what was hanging out of the end. Hotch wasn't sure, but it looked like a bright pink baseball bat. He wondered at it, it was now September, and little leagues had been finished for a few weeks. But it was Emily's face that worried him the most. It was pale as she ran one finger over the bat.

He wondered at the significance of that bat.

He opened the office door, wanting to see her for just a few more minutes before she left for the night. He arrived in time to hear her explaining to Derek that the bat had been hers as a child and her mother must have given it to Cody.

That was all she said, but Hotch didn't miss the remembered nightmares in her eyes—nor the compassion in Garcia's. The blonde tech obviously knew the significance of that bat and whatever it was, it probably wasn't pretty.

He blocked Emily's hands with one move as she bent down to pick up Cody. "Let me give you a hand with her."

Emily nodded, slinging both her ready bag, Cody's, and Cody's backpack over her shoulders. They had to easily have weighed nearly what Cody did when all combined. Hotch picked up the little girl, one arm going around her hips and arranging her dark head, with loose curls this time, on his shoulder.

She never woke, and Hotch wondered just how frequent the nightmares had attacked the little one while they'd been in Seattle. He dropped one hand to Emily's back, the girl's weight no real bother for him, and they started toward the elevators.

Neither adult said anything as the doors slid open and people slid out. Erin Strauss was one of them, and the two BAU agents nodded respectfully. Strauss was a former pain in their sides, but ever since the Milwaukee case she'd pretty much left the team alone. No one had much of a beef with her anymore.

Still, she'd been on vacation for the last two weeks, so she probably didn't know about Emily using the BAU for child care—or about her leaving every day to do a pickup. Hotch didn't want to get into it all right there by the elevator, so he motioned Emily in quickly, pushing the button to close the door as fast as he could without appearing to be rushing.

Time enough tomorrow to explain the situation to Strauss. If it was even needed by then. Rumors had a way of getting around, especially in the Bureau. Hotch didn't care, provided it didn't cause any trouble for Emily or Cody. They were his main concern now.

He followed Emily across the parking lot to her car, noting idly that she was driving the sedan and not the little silver Roadster that she claimed was her toy, and a gift from her father. The sedan was safer, obviously.

She opened the back door and he settled the little girl into her seat, pulling the belt over her automatically. It wasn't nothing he hadn't done for Jack a thousand times. He stood and closed the door softly. Emily moved to the trunk, popping it and lifting the bags into it's depths one by one. Hotch's hand closed around hers as she moved to rearrange Cody's bag, with its bright pink bat, near the back. "You played as a kid?"

"For a little while." Emily admitted. "Then there came a time I couldn't stand the sight of a ball bat. Too many memories."

"Excuse me?"

"My mother gave Cody my bat for one reason. To fight the nightmares. That's why I had it, Hotch." Her hand circled the end of the bat, then one finger ran over the faded initials painted on the metal. _EM. _"Under my bed where I could reach it if I needed to. Broke three lamps in two years, but my mother never complained. Would just buy a new one. And it always matched. Like it never happened. Like none of it ever happened."

"Emily?" His hand tightened where it had fell on her shoulder. "Want to tell me about the bat?"


	18. Chapter 18

PRENTISS EIGHTEEN

Emily paused a moment as she realized just exactly what she had said. "There's really not much to tell. A business associate of my father snuck into my room when I was a few years older than Cody. My mother heard me scream, rushed in and grabbed my ball bat. Started swinging. I had nightmares for a while, and we decided I could keep the bat under the bed in case I needed it. I thought she would have thrown it away by now."

She closed the trunk and then turned to lean against it. She avoided his eyes, hating that she'd given him a glimpse into her darkest secrets. Still, it was Hotch, and she knew he'd never bring it up. She trusted him in that way.

"Maybe your mother thought it would help Cody to have it." Was all he said, and she looked at him. His eyes were dark, soft when they looked at her and she couldn't help but wonder about the different light she'd seen in them all day. There was something _different _about the way he was watching her.

"Maybe." Emily said, "Thank you for helping me get her to the car. For everything this past few weeks. I mean it, you have my heartfelt appreciation."

"If you ever need anything, Emily, all you have to do is ask. You and Cody." Hotch said, his hand rose and wrapped around her elbow and Emily was immediately aware of the warmth he emanated.

"Would you do me a favor?" Emily rushed the words, nervous about what she was asking.

"Anything."

"I'd like for Cody to get comfortable around men, especially those who remind her of _him. _Would you come to dinner one night this week?"

Hotch used his impeccable control to keep a wide grin from touching his lips. He'd arrived at a plan while in his office, and this fit perfectly. He'd simply decided to make himself indispensible to the pair. Until it was second nature for _them _both to turn to him. For everything. A little earlier than he'd expected, but Hotch had long learned how to adapt to any situation. "Of course."

"Great. How about Wednesday?"

He'd prefer it if he was going home with her right then, but he knew better than to rush things. "Wednesday will be fine. About what time?"

"Seven?"

"That would be great. Do I need to bring anything?"

"No. Just yourself, and Hotch? Thank you." Emily smiled, and then her heart dropped as his hand raised to push a strand of hair out of her face.

There wasn't time to think about the strangeness of his actions after she'd pulled into the parking garage at home. Cody woke, cranky from an unaccustomed nap, and it tried all of Emily's patience to get her in the house, and settled at the island finishing up the last little bit of her homework.

It wasn't until after dinner that Emily broached the subject of dinner with Hotch. He would be the best person to help the little girl get over the fears she still exhibited when seeing a tall, dark-headed man in a suit. He'd understand every nuance of the girl's behavior, for one thing, and they wouldn't have to worry about him being offended.

For another, he was probably one of the few—if not the _only _man of that description that Emily trusted implicitly.

Still, it would be weird for both Prentiss females to have a man in their inner sanctum, and Emily wasn't blind to that. Cody agreed, although she really didn't have much of a choice, but Emily could easily see that the girl wasn't too fond of the idea.

"Why not Mr. Reid?"

"Because we see Reid for several hours each week. And I want you to get to know _all _the members of the team. This weekend, I plan on inviting Mr. Dave." Emily had given it a lot of thought. Cody deserved as big a _family _as she could give her, and who else did Emily have? She'd given careful consideration to _when _to invite people as well. She knew midweek had to be hard for Hotch, him only seeing his son on weekends—provided the team wasn't working. And Dave—she knew _he'd _spent many a weekend not at his cabin, but holed up in his office at the BAU working cold cases. So she'd ask him over on Saturday, give him a reason to not go to the BAU office for at least one of those days.

"Well, can we invite Aunt Pen one day? And Grandma Beth?" The little girl's face was set in a mulish pout and it was all Emily could do not to laugh. "We don't see them _all _the time."

"Ok, when?" It was a fair request and Emily knew it.

"Grandma this weekend. She can meet Mr. Dave, too. And come to the carnival at school Friday."

Emily agreed, "You can call her before bed, and ask her if she has other plans, ok? And what carnival?"

Cody pulled a bright yellow flyer out of her bag, handing it to Emily. "This one. It's when they have the signups for after school stuff, too."

Emily quickly read all the information, time, date, and location. "I can't wait."

Tuesday Emily arrived at the school for pick-up almost late. She'd been tapped by no less than Chief Strauss herself to run a three day course for the female cadets on being a woman in law enforcement. She'd spent the better part of the afternoon preparing almost twenty-four hours worth of materials. As far as she could see, it meant that the team would definitely be office-bound through the following Monday. Hotch had also been tapped for a class, though Emily wasn't too sure of the specifics, as had Dave.

Emily took it as the blessing it was. She was looking forward to Cody's carnival, and she suspected the little girl was, too.

Still, the bell had already rung when Emily hurried up to her now accustomed spot on the entrance. Jason Collins met her. "Hello, Emily."

"Hi, Jason. You've not happened to notice whether Cody's come out yet, have you?"

"Bit behind today?" He smiled, moved closer as kids began rushing by. His hand wrapped around her elbow much the way Hotch's did. It felt different when the supervisor did it, and Emily was well aware of it. "No, she's not been out yet."

"Good. I didn't want her to panic if no one was out here."

"So are you going to the grand carnival this Friday?" He asked, smiling down at her.

"Of course." Emily knew what he was about to ask. "Cody's excited. Wants to sign up for everything."

"Ryan's a bit more reluctant with activities. So would you like to meet for dinner beforehand? Me, you, the kids, maybe pizza?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I work until six, and that is pushing it to get here by seven." Emily said. "Not to mention getting Cody ready."

"Well, how about tomorrow night? Maybe we can meet for a quick dinner since it's a school night?" He moved to block Emily's view of the kids, and it annoyed her. She arched a brow and tried to move around him, but he stepped into her path. He just wouldn't take the hint, and Emily didn't know whether to be flattered or concerned at his persistence.

"We can't then, either." A little voice said from slightly behind Collins. "Mr. Hotch is coming over to hang out with my mom. He'll probably stay a _long_ time."

"Well, are you ladies free on Saturday?" He asked, as Ryan came running up. "Maybe we can go to a movie."

"Nope. Mr. Dave is going to spend the day with us." Cody shook her head emphatically. And then my Grandma Beth. We are booked solid!"

"Mr. Dave?" Collins asked, looking at the little girl with mild annoyance in his eyes. Cody smirked back at him, and her mother knew immediately what the little imp was up to.

"He's my mom's _other _friend from work. He comes over on the weekend, and Mr. Hotch comes through the week. My mom has lots of friends, most of them are boys, too."

"Cody, come on. We'd better get going, I've a lot of work to do this afternoon." Emily knew her cheeks were bright red at what the little girl had implied.

"Ok, Mom. But can I go see Mr. Reid, too? And Mr. Morgan? Mr. Morgan is _hot!" _


	19. Chapter 19

PRENTISS NINETEEN

Emily was thankful that she was stuck in a classroom with fifteen female cadets all day Wednesday instead of back in the BAU. And she knew her nerves stemmed from the fact that Hotch would be in her apartment for the first time since they'd had the Milwaukee case almost a year ago.

Emily was very _protective _of her home. Even from the team. JJ and Garcia had been to her place a total of four times between them since Emily had transferred to the team. Morgan had been once, as had Dave, when he'd given her a ride home when her car hadn't started. Hotch had been the one time, and it had made her exceedingly uncomfortable. They'd both been aware of it. He hadn't been by since.

Emily had always viewed her home as her place away from all the flooding that the BAU represented, her retreat, her sanctuary. Even from the people she trusted the most. Still, for Cody, she'd practically let the devil himself into her home if it would help the little girl.

Hotch wasn't the devil, by any means, but still, Emily was inexplicably nervous.

She knew Cody was, too. The day flew by, Emily giving her lecture, explaining a bit about who she was, how she had gotten to the BAU, what obstacles she had faced. The class went to break in time for her to pick up Cody. She narrowly avoided another conversation with Jason Collins by having one with the teacher instead.

They were in the car before she spoke to the little girl, "So what's this about?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, looking out the window. "They just said you have to talk to Mr. Compton, the vice principal."

"And you don't know what it's about?" Emily was completely puzzled. "Did something happen today?"

"We picked our topics for our reports today."

"Oh? What report?" Emily asked. "What class?"

"Social Studies. We could pick geography, sociology, or psychology topics. Or anth-antro—anthropology." Cody tapped her hand against the door handle. "Mr. Hotch still coming for dinner, tonight?"

"Yes." The subject of the conference would have to wait, Emily decided, as they pulled into the parking garage manned by a cadet agent. "We'll talk after Mr. Hotch leaves this evening, ok?"

"Am I in trouble?" Cody's face suddenly showed an intense worry, and Emily's chest tightened. She'd not given any thought to having to _discipline _the little girl. Still, they had the two days before the meeting for her to think about it. "I'll be good, I promise."

"Cody, calm down. Yes, you _may _be in trouble. May not, we have to wait and see what Mr. Compton says, ok? And even if you are in trouble, it won't be the end of the world. I promise. I love you, kiddo. Now, do you want to stay in the classroom with me, or see if Aunt Penelope is busy?"

"Stay with you." Cody said, grabbing her bookbag and slamming the car door. "So what's this class about, anyway, and why are you teaching it?"

"It's about being a girl in the FBI." Emily ruffled the dark hair, pulled back in a ponytail. "I have an extra seat in the back where you can sit and work on your homework, ok? Then we'll head home and make dinner for our guest."

"Your guest. Mine are coming this weekend." Cody reminded her. "So if Mr. Hotch is _your _friend, why do I have to help _entertain _him?"

"Because we are a family, and when one member of a family has quests over, the rest of the family is polite." Emily explained, as they hurried over to the complex where her class was located. "Cody, I'll need you to do me a big favor tonight."

"What?"

"Make our guest feel welcome. It's the right thing to do, and it is expected, understand?"

"Mr. Hotch is scary." She said in a small voice.

"I know, he scared me too. At first." Emily dropped down to meet her in the eyes. "But maybe Mr. Hotch is just not too sure how to act around you, us. Can you give him a chance? Please?"

"Yes." Cody nodded. "Aunt Penelope says he's Superman."

"Not quite." Emily said on a laugh. "What else does Aunt Penelope say?"

"She says Mr. Hotch is lonely." She whispered it, like she was sharing a big secret. "And that he needs someone to keep him from being alone. And so is Mr. Dave. And Mr. Morgan has a dog to keep from being alone. And JJ has her baby and her boyfriend. But Mr. Hotch, Mr. Dave, and Mr. Reid are all alone, except for the team."

"Mr. Hotch has a little boy, too. But he only sees him on the weekends." Emily told her as she unlocked the classroom. They still had ten minutes before the cadets would return. "That's why I invited him to join our family on a weeknight."

"Because he is probably missing his little boy?" Cody asked. "Aunt Emily?"

Emily was struck by the return of her former title. "Yes, baby?"

"Did you miss me?"

Emily dropped to her knees in front of the little girl, pulling her to face her straight on. "Every dang day we were apart since the moment I put you on that plane, sweetie. Every day."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Cody. I love you, and _you _are my family, and when we have to be apart I miss you—even when you're just at school. I'll probably _always _miss you. No matter what! Understand?" Emily hugged her, then stood as the cadets started filing in. "Now, go finish your homework, ok?"

"Yes, mommy." Her bottom lip trembled, and Emily ruffled her bangs. The little girl gave a watery smile, and straightened the hair so that it fell where it was supposed to. She was nothing if not fastidious in her personal appearance.

The little girl in the prep school uniform was a far cry from the one found exactly two weeks earlier in a St. Louis shelter.

The final two hours of the class dragged. Emily kept one eye on the little girl, whom she could sense was getting bored and the other on the clock. It was a discussion led by the class at that point, and she fielded a variety of questions about her job and career.

Still, when five-thirty arrived no one was more relieved than she. She had to get them both home, get the food ready, make sure the apartment was orderly, and supervise Cody's help through it all. "Thank you all, and I look forward to seeing you at ten in the morning. Do not be late."

By fifteen minutes past six she and Cody were changed out of their 'uniforms' and into jeans. Emily had told Hotch it was to be completely informal and not be surprised by macaroni and cheese—Cody helped cook all the meals—and she knew that casual dress would make the child a little more comfortable having their home invaded. She wondered briefly if Hotch even _owned _casual clothes. It would be interesting to see his definition.

Ten minutes before seven the knock sounded and the two Prentiss ladies looked at each other. Emily had to smile at the way the little girl mimicked her big sigh. The child's gestures and features had always been similar to Emily's, and she chalked it up to her being the predominant female presence in Cody's life since she was a preschooler. Now that they lived together full time, the child was acting more and more like her. It was an oft-times daunting thought. "Ready, kiddo?"

"Ready. Do you think he'll like macaroni?"

"I think he'll love it." Emily removed the apron, and hurriedly dried her hands as another knock sounded. "Come on. Let's go let him in."


	20. Chapter 20

PRENTISS'S FIND TWENTY

Hotch was nervous. He knew the reasons, he personally had a lot at stake in making this evening work and he'd hate to mess it up. A lot rode on making sure this evening—in his mind, a prelude to an actual date—went smoothly.

He'd brought some simple flowers, for both Prentiss women, out of politeness, and a desire to see them both smile. Emily's was a simple orchid, something slightly impersonal, nontraditional, and non-threatening. Cody got daisies, their bright faces looking almost cartoonish. He hoped the little girl liked them.

He'd actually dressed down for the evening as well, the red polo and khakis more casual, and his usual weekend wear. But he understood what Emily had needed, Rodney probably wore a suit and seeing _Hotch _in something other than one may help the little girl learn to look past a person's clothes. It was a big task facing him this evening, but Hotch felt he was ready.

The door opened and there they stood. Both wore jeans, Emily's fitting her _perfectly _and making his mouth go inexplicably dry. Her shirt was bright purple, and it surprised him to see it actually had a cartoon decal on the front. Emily wearing cartoons? It was…cute. And unexpected. But the curves outlined beneath the cotton were anything but childish.

Cody once again looked like a mini version of Emily, her hair pulled back into a similar ponytail, her own shirt bright blue.

"Hello, Cody, Emily. These are for you." Hotch smiled, handing the little girl the daisies and the woman the orchid. Both smiled, apparently happy with his choices.

"Thank you." Emily said, and Cody echoed the sentiment. Emily handed her gift to the little girl, who put both pots on the hutch. "Can I get you something to drink? We have juice, milk, and soda."

"Soda will be fine. Anything I can do to help?" Hotch asked, moving to stand beside her kitchen island. The place looked more _relaxed _than it had the last time he'd been there, the subtle signs of a family actually _living _in the place more visible. The last time, everything had been completely exact. The candles were evenly spaced on the back of the hutch, the floors gleamed.

It still gleamed, was still clean and polished—he would have expected nothing less from the slightly obsessive-compulsive woman, but the candles were slightly out of place, and the latent signs of a child's presence were visible.

It suited them both. The window blinds were opened, showing the magnificent view of the Capitol. Hotch had never looked too closely at his team's finances—it wasn't his business, nor was it pertinent to the team—but he was once again struck by the inherent _expensiveness _of Emily's home. This apartment didn't come cheap, and he wondered briefly about it.

"Actually, as soon as Cody sets the table—island—it'll be ready." Emily said as she bent over to pull a steaming casserole out of the oven. Hotch's mouth watered then, and it wasn't just from the smell of chicken and spices. Why the hell hadn't he ever noticed just exactly how well she was built?

He'd admit it to himself, he had been slightly depressed since Hayley had left, but had he been that _blind _to everything around him? Well, he had plenty of time to rectify that. And that's exactly what he planned to do.

Dinner went better than Emily had expected. Cody was polite, and even conversed with their guest. As for Hotch, he was more open and relaxed than she had ever seen him. Emily enjoyed herself, immensely. The casserole was perfect—a favorite for both she and Cody—and he seemed to enjoy it and the macaroni and cheese Cody had painstakingly slaved over. Conversation was never at a standstill, something she found very surprising with Hotch. She'd figured he'd be as reserved and taciturn as he was with the rest of the team around them. He wasn't. He made a point of talking to both she and Cody, and it was a very pleasant evening. It actually ran longer than Emily expected, so that when Cody was ready for bed he was still there. Emily tucked the little girl in, praying that there would be at least one nightmare free night, then returned to the kitchen. He'd already stacked her dishes, and sat waiting at the island.

"She's down for now." Emily said around a sigh.

"Still not sleeping through?" Hotch asked.

"Not yet. Although we're down to only one or two nightmares a night instead of three or four, so I'm guessing that's progress. Thank you, for tonight."

"No thanks necessary." He said, and she could see he meant it. "I should probably be going, let you relax a while."

"Relax with a pile of consults, you mean?" She asked, wryly. "I usually work on paperwork for a couple of hours before calling it a night."

"Hmm. I understand. That's about how my nights go as well."

"The pile never seems to get any smaller does it?" She asked.

"No." He paused for a moment, seeming to be considering something. "Want some company? I have a whole stack in the car."

Emily was struck by the longing in his eyes, and to her it was obvious he just didn't want to go home. "Sure. Why don't you go get it, and I'll grab a couple of beers."

"Great."

Hotch had never had such a good time working on consults. They each worked independently, though they sat side by side on her small couch. He could smell her shampoo, and what he thought was the lotion she used. It had been a long time since he'd been surrounded by the smell of a female, and he absolutely loved it. Occasionally they would bounce ideas off each other, discussing a particularly challenging case.

The last time he did it, she didn't answer. He glanced at his watch, and then at her, surprised to see it was well past one. They should have been in bed at least an hour earlier. His companion was out. He reached a hand to her shoulder, curving around it, intent on waking her enough to tell her was leaving and that she should go to bed.

That didn't happen. She _hmmm_'d, the same sound he'd heard her make on the plane, and he knew she was deeply asleep. But what surprised him most was the way she went slack and leaned forward—exactly the way he'd seen Jack do on numerous occasions. Her head was on his shoulder, the hair smelling wonderful, and he could feel her heat against him. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment, just for a moment.

One hand fell behind her back, unconsciously pulling her closer, and she snuggled into him. Hotch felt the immediate and hot response of his lower body and bit back a groan. But he pulled her tighter to him, then leaned himself back a little. He'd stay there, just a moment, to enjoy the feel of her against him. His hand ran through her hair, before he dropped a slight kiss on the long dark strands. He gently pulled the band free, knowing it would be uncomfortable for her to sleep with her hair pulled up. He closed his eyes, just for a moment. He'd get up in a moment, and head back to his apartment half an hour away.

Cody found him there the next morning. He felt the little hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly, and opened his eyes to see a little face peering at him worriedly. "Mr. Hotch, Mr. Hotch, Mom didn't set the alarm. You two better wake up, or we're _all _going to be late!"


	21. Chapter 21

At the little girl's words Emily realized two things—one, the nice warm bed she was lying on was a human, a male human at that—some things were hard to miss in the mornings, and two, his hand was in her jeans, cupping her rear.

She opened her eyes quickly, meeting the dark gaze of her supervisor, and not that of her daughter. "Oh."

He quickly pulled his hand free of where it was buried, and a slight red tinged his handsome cheeks. "Good morning. I guess we fell asleep."

Had he always had such a habit of stating the obvious? Emily couldn't remember. "Cody, sweetie, what time is it?"

"Almost eight. You gotta hurry!" School started at eight-forty-five.

"Sweetie, you slept through the night?" Emily didn't look at Hotch as she slung her feet to the floor. What was one supposed to say after being woken by a twelve-year-old and finding herself sleeping full-length,_ on top _of her supervisor? Especially when that supervisor had apparently been copping an unconscious feel?

"No. I woke up once, but I grabbed my bat. Nobody was there." The kid shrugged. "So I went back to sleep."

Emily grabbed the little girl and hugged her tight. "Go take a shower, and hurry. I'll get you some breakfast."

"Ok."

As the little girl ran noisily back up the stairs, Emily turned to face the room's other occupant. "Well."

"Well." He echoed.

"Awkward."

"Very awkward." He said, in his typically deadpanned Hotch voice. But then his lips twitched, and she was struck by the sudden humor of the situation. "Sleep well?"

Hotch knew his question was loaded, but a part of him wanted to see what she would say. He was well aware of exactly what his hand had been holding when he'd woken. And he had to admit, it was a real nice handful. He had enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him before she'd moved, as well. He only 

had two regrets to the unexpected sleepover—that he hadn't awoke before Cody found them, and that Emily had moved off of him so quickly. Of course, with a kid in the room, it was expected that she'd put space between them.

"Not really, my hand's still asleep where I laid on it. You?" She said.

"Your couch is not meant for a six foot four man." He stretched as he spoke, and his back popped. He was nearly forty years old and sleeping on couches, even with a beautiful woman, was not something he'd consider comfortable.

"Dinner was wonderful, but I probably should be going." He smiled then, and she grinned back, a tacit agreement _not _to mention just exactly how closely they had laid. "We don't want to be late, the boss might get mad."

"True. And he can be such a stickler." Emily laughed, a slightly husky morning voice that heated Hotch's gut. "Would you like some oatmeal before you go? We have instant with apples, or instant with strawberries. We also have fresh bananas and orange juice."

"I would love some. But then I'll need to be going, if I want to take a shower, that is."

"You're welcome to use the guest bath." Emily offered, and Hotch considered it. By showering at her house, he'd be able to spend more time with _her. _"If you have your ready bag, of course."

"Thank you, I'll do that. I'll just run out to my car and get it, ok?"

"Great. I'll get breakfast on, and make sure Cody is ready."

Emily rushed through her own shower nearly thirty minutes later. It had been closer to seven-thirty than eight, so they had just a few more minutes than she'd first thought. Still, by the time Hotch left for the office and Emily and Cody were driving to the school it was severely pushing it.

"Is Mr. Hotch going to be your boyfriend?"

"What?" Emily glanced at the little girl before turning back to the road. "Oh, no, honey. Why?"

"Because when a man and a woman sleep together, they are usually boyfriend and girlfriend." The little girl said, confidently. "It's what they do on TV. And Mr. Hotch slept over."

"Cody, Mr. Hotch's sleeping over was an accident. We were working really hard on our papers, and we both fell asleep. But he is _not _going to be my boyfriend." Emily explained, feeling her cheeks heat at the remembered feel of him beneath her, of what had been pressing against her stomach. It was just a physiological response that all men experienced in the mornings, so she read nothing into it. But it was embarrassing. "Mr. Hotch is a good friend, but not a romantic friend. Ok? And let's keep this between the three of us. I doubt Mr. Hotch would want the rumor going around the office that he stayed the night with me, ok? It could get him into trouble."

"Why?"

"Because he is my boss. And bosses aren't supposed to be friends with their employees. Not that kind of friends. And if people heard he'd spent the night, they might misunderstand."

"Oh. Kind of like when I told Mr. Collins that you and Mr. Hotch were going away together."

"And didn't mention the rest of the team?" Emily added, dryly. "Exactly. Mr. Hotch deserves our discretion."

"What's discretion?"

"Look it up, kiddo." Emily ordered. "Now, get out of the car and go get educated! I'll pick you up today, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am. Tell Mr. Hotch thanks for the flowers again. They were cool. And don't worry, I'll keep it a secret!" The little girl climbed out and slammed the door. Emily watched her for half a moment, smiling at the energetic way the kid climbed the steps, meeting a few friends on the way in. What a difference just a few days had made in the little girl. The nightmares were waning—for now, Emily wasn't naïve enough to not expect them to return, the little girl was a little less reserved around certain men, Emily and Hotch were becoming actual friends, just like she and the rest of the team, and things were going pretty good for all of them.

She met Hotch in the elevator on her to the tenth floor. "Just now getting in, sir?"

He turned, lips twitching just the most minute of grins. "Forgot to set the alarm. But no, I've been down to the sixth floor, now I am headed to the twelfth."

"Admit it, sir, you just like riding the elevators all day. The whole team knows it. But don't worry, we all have our little weaknesses." She kept her tone polite and slightly differential, as they were surrounded by half a dozen male agents from various floors.

He grinned, "Like chocolate, perhaps."

"Exactly." The elevator dinged, signaling it's arrival at the tenth floor and Emily exited with a few others, nodding at Hotch as she did so.

He watched her go, pleased that she'd not given in to the overwhelming awkwardness that could have happened after their strange morning. Of course, the woman had a well defined sense of humor, and he knew they both saw the situation for what it was. Or at least, what she thought it was. To him, it was just one _big _step forward in his plan. An unexpected step, but one he was taking advantage of none-the-less.

"Who was _that?" _A male voice asked from the back of the cart. Hotch's hearing may have been slightly impaired, but he wasn't deaf to the amount of appreciation soaking the question.

"One of the profilers." Another voice said. Hotch turned to look at the two men sharing the cart with him. "Nice to look, isn't it? But don't bother asking, I've already tried. As have several others. No go. Don't know what the problem is."

"That's one of my agents." Hotch said, tone frozen through and through. "And a supervisory special agent, observe some respect."

"Yes, sir."

Hotch's good mood returned immediately, seeing the utter fear in the two younger agents' eyes. He wondered briefly just when he'd get to make an even bigger _public _claim on her—in a completely non-Bureau way.

He couldn't wait.


	22. Chapter 22

PRENTISS TWENTYTWO

Emily's day went well, and she left to pickup Cody on time. She was waiting in her now customary spot when Jason Collins arrived.

"Hello, Emily."

"Hello, Jason. How are you?" Emily asked politely.

"Great. Where's your friend, Mr. Hobson?"

"Agent _Hotchner_? He's still at the office, I presume. We work until six." Emily said as non-committal as possible. "Why?"

"Oh, I just assumed from what Cody has said, that you two were together. I was hoping I was wrong." He looked at her with a hangdog expression that didn't fool her one bit.

"Agent Hotchner and I are work colleagues." Emily admitted, "And good friends."

"I see. So if I were to ask you to dinner _he _wouldn't object?"

"I don't see why he would. But truthfully, Jason. I just don't have time for dating right now. Cody's been through a hard time—is _still _going through a hard time, and my main focus is going to be on her." Emily had always prided herself on her honesty, and her patience. But this guy was not getting the hint. "Will always be."

"Still, that doesn't mean you can't go out for drinks now and again, does it?" His expression had darkened slightly, and Emily squared her shoulders.

"It does for me. I'm just too busy right now." Emily spoke firmly. "But thank you for asking."

He moved away, but not before Emily heard him muttering about her being too busy with _Mr. Hotch _and _Mr. Dave. _He moved to the other side of the entryway, a good forty feet away.

The woman beside Emily moved a bit closer. She leaned in and whispered, "Be careful with him, Ms. Prentiss. Rumor has it he doesn't take rejection _at all."_

"What do you mean?" Emily asked. The woman was one she'd exchanged greetings with, and Emily had no reason not to trust her judgment.

"At his kid's last school—Hutchings—rumor had it he stalked a woman for weeks. _She _finally filed a restraining order. He ended up transferring his boy out. That's why they're here. Came middle of last semester. And his attention's been pretty heavy on you. I've seen him wait for you to get here in the mornings."

"Are you serious?" Emily kept her own voice low. "Just what I need. Thanks for the warning."

"Just watch your back." The woman said, as her two kids ran up. Cody was a few steps behind. Emily nodded, then hugged her little girl. She didn't look in Jason Collins' direction.

"So?" She said as she started the vehicle. "How was today?"

"Ok. I made invitations."

"For?"

"The carnival. One for everybody—Mr. Dave, Mr. Reid, Mr. Brown Sugar, Mr. Hotch. Aunt JJ and Aunt Penelope. Everybody."

"Mr. Brown Sugar, huh? Remind me to talk to Aunt Penelope about her nicknames around you, ok?" Emily didn't bother hiding her grin. Trust Penelope to make flirting normal in the little girl's eyes. That was good, as far as Emily was concerned. Flirting was healthy, and the child needed to _see _healthy male and female behaviors. "I didn't know you planned on inviting everybody."

"That's ok, right?" Cody asked, worriedly. "Tanesha Robbins was teasing me. Said that all I had was you, cause my dad was dead. _She's _bringing everybody. Her mom, her dad, brothers. She has a _big _family."

"Oh. And honey, of course it's alright. I don't know if anybody has plans tomorrow night, but I'm sure some of them can make it." Even if Emily had to bribe them. She'd do it. "And don't forget, you have Grandma Beth, and Great-grandpa Leo even if we don't see him that often. You're family might not seem as big as Tanesha Robbins' but we still all love each other just as much, hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Cody smiled. "Ryan said his dad was mad."

"About what?"

"About Mr. Hotch coming to our house."

"Honey, how did Mr. Collins know about it?" Emily asked. "From what you said the other day, or something else?"

"I IM'd Ryan before bed last night, when I was on the computer." Emily let her have half an hour each evening on the internet. She'd specifically set up parental controls on the new Apple she'd bought and put in the little girl's bedroom. It was Cody's computer, but Emily monitored it carefully, and Garcia had written her a program that let her know through a feed to her own laptop exactly what sites the little girl surfed, and exactly what was said in each chat room or email. "Told him we'd had a guest."

"And he told his dad. Did he say what his dad did?"

"Said his dad was yelling, especially at their dog. Ryan doesn't like it when his dad yells." Cody said, whispering. "Why did it make him mad that Mr. Hotch came over?"

"Because _he _wanted to be the one to come over." Emily explained. "He was jealous. Honey, I don't want you IMing anybody without me knowing about it, ok? I just want you to tell me ahead of time. And I don't want you talking to Mr. Collins anymore. Ryan is ok, but only at school, understand?"

"Mom, are you _afraid _of Mr. Collins?"

"No. But sometimes if a guy gets _too _interested, its best to just not let them talk to you or know anything about you. Let them get bored, understand?"

"Not really. Why don't you tell Mr. Hotch? I bet he could make Mr. Collins go away."

"No. Prentiss women deal with their own problems. And it wouldn't be fair to involve Hotch in my interactions with Mr. Collins. But I want you to promise me, ok?"

"Ok. I promise."

Emily was preoccupied with everything that happened throughout the rest of the evening. Cody was bouncing, more than a little excited about the half-day of school the next morning and the carnival that evening. She acted like a regular little girl and Emily was thrilled.

When the knock sounded on the door she was completely floored. Emily never got visitors, unless they were expected. In fact, _Hotch _was the only person who'd ever just showed up at her place, and that was nearly a year ago. She peeked through the peephole and nearly cursed. She opened it slowly, wishing she'd not locked her gun in the closet. She'd started doing that as a precaution since bringing Cody home, but now she wished it was in easy reach.

"Mr. Collins? What are you doing here?" Her voice held a slight frost tinge and she knew it.

"Apparently we accidentally ended up with Cody's math book today. I didn't know if she'd need it tonight. We got your address from the student directory. I hope you don't mind." His tone was contrite, but his gaze was heated, as it ran over her in her casual wear. "I figured we'd drop it off before it got too late. And I remembered you saying you worked until six."

"Yes." Emily said. She still blocked the path into her home like a mama bear guarding a den. Nobody got into her home uninvited. "We appreciate it. Thank you."

"Wait!" He said, when she moved to shut the door. "Would you two like to go for ice cream? My treat."

"I'm sorry, we can't. Cody has to clean her room before tomorrow or her grandmother can't attend the carnival." Emily improvised, "And I have a three inch stack of paperwork to get through or I'll be in hot water with Hotch."

She probably shouldn't have mentioned her boss, as Collins' face darkened considerably. "I understand, wouldn't want to upset _Mr. Hotch_. Well, good night, then. Sorry to have bothered you."

"Good night." Emily said, closing the door on the Collins' slowly. As a precaution—she was moving her gun into her nightstand. And Cody was sleeping in her room. Emily had seen too many cases that started just that way, and always ended badly.


	23. Chapter 23

PRENTISS TWENTY THREE

Emily arrived at work fifteen minutes early. Her first stop was Garcia's habitat. The blonde tech was already hard at work—killing pumpkins on a new video game. The blonde would always, first and foremost, be a computer nerd. Emily loved her for it—one nerd to another. "Hey, Pen."

"Momma profiler! What's up! How's my little godchild?" The blonde squealed. Since Emily'd been teaching in another building they'd not seen each other for a few days. "Everything goin' good?"

"Yes. She's not slept through the night completely, but she's not woke up _screaming _either. And can get herself back to sleep. For now."

"And how's her momma?"

"Concerned. I need a favor."

"Anything." The tech said, leaning forward. "I'm all ears."

"Actually, I need _two _favors. First, Cody is feeling a decided lack of family members. She's substituting the team. Especially you and JJ. So if you're not busy tonight, I am supposed to give you this. And beg, on my knees if needed." She handed Garcia the envelope with Cody's painstakingly neat writing. She waited a moment while the younger woman read it.

"Sure, I'm in. And the rest of the team—you have invites for them, too?"

"Yes. But I won't have time to see them in time to deliver. So I guess I need _three _favors." Emily handed her the other envelopes. "I so greatly appreciate this."

"No prob. You're all my family, too. And this family needed a mini-Prentiss. And this third favor? I know—you want me to find out if Kevin has a devilishly handsome older brother?"

"No. Anything but another man trying to get time.." Emily paused, taking a deep breath. "I need you to find me whatever you can on Jason Collins."

"Wow. Supreme interest or something more?"

"Something more. So not taking no for an answer. Showed up at my door last night."

"Wow. What did you do?"

"It creeped me, Pen. I…uh…slept with my gun in the nightstand, and Cody in my bed. The guy is persistent. I just want to know what I am up against. And he's not above pumping Cody or his son for information."

"Give me a few hours and I can tell you what fruit he likes in his cereal." Garcia said, seriously. "Now you better book it. Doesn't your class start soon?"

"Yes. And I am dismissing for an extra half an hour. Meeting with the VP at noon, plus it's a half day so Cody will be back here."

"Oh? Have fun."

"Barrels." Emily's tone was wry as she turned to leave. "And Pen, thanks. Between us, ok?"

"Of course." Garcia said.

Hotch was in his classroom just about ready to dismiss for a five minute break when Garcia found him. He saw her watching from the back of the room, slightly worried frown on her face. He sent his cadets out, then approached her. "Garcia?"

"Sir. I shouldn't be doing this. I really shouldn't. But well, I don't want her to go just unaware." Garcia began by rambling, and Hotch's brows rose.

"Garcia, slow down. Tell me what's going on."

"Emily asked me to look into somebody, and I did. But I was supposed to keep it between the two of us."

"Ok. Why didn't you?" Hotch's eyes narrowed on her face. "Who was it?"

"That Collins guy from Cody's school, sir. Emily said he showed up at the apartment last night. Told me that he was getting annoyed and she actually felt threatened enough to sleep with her gun nearby. Emily _always _locks her gun up, sir. Always."

"Back up. So this guy showed up at Emily's place last night? Did she say what he wanted?" Hotch's whole body tensed. The guy had some nerve, and it boiled Hotch's blood to think of_ Emily _being frightened in her own home.

"No. But I looked into his priors, sir. Three domestic disturbance charges. Ended when the wife died in a car wreck. And there was another restraining order for threatening and intimidating behavior about seven months ago. It was dropped right around the time both parties transferred their children to new schools. The woman who took out the order transferred out of state."

"Have you told Emily this?"

"Not yet, I can't find her classroom, and Strauss paged me to go see her as soon as I could. But sir—she's told me he's _always _at the school when she picks up Cody. And she has to get her at noon today. And she has a conference with the vice principal. That means when she leaves she'll be mostly alone in the parking lot. Except for Cody and whomever else happens to be there—if anybody else is there." Garcia handed him a file, and he opened it, seeing a picture of the man he recognized as Collins. "I didn't know what to do. And I'm supposed to give you this, too. From Cody"

"You did the right thing telling me, Penelope. I'll square it with Emily." He took the envelope, but didn't open it.

"So you'll go with her?"

"Yes. I'll get Morgan or Reid to cover for me for an hour." Hotch said. "Now, go. I'll get Emily."

Hotch moved just inside Emily's classroom, listening as she lectured. She had a clear voice, and was obviously comfortable being in control of a group. As he listened to her joking with a few of the cadets, he couldn't help but be struck by how remarkable of a woman she was. And knowing that someone had made her feel threatened, and that he hadn't been there, made him extremely angry. Furious.

But he knew there was nothing he could do about it without extreme provocation.

But he could make sure Collins _knew _Emily wasn't available, or an easy target.

Emily saw him, and nodded. She dismissed her class, reminding them to take an extra half an hour, that she had an errand to run. She approached him, no sign of nervousness in her demeanor about their early morning interlude the day before. "Hotch? Everything ok?"

"Garcia found me." His tone was severe. "Why didn't you tell me Collins was getting pushy?"

"So much for between us," Emily said, mouth twisting. "It wasn't a big matter."

"Actually it is. And she'd have told you herself but Strauss needed her, and she didn't want you driving over there without knowing. She was concerned."

"So what did she find?" Emily gathered her purse, and locked the classroom. She'd be back by 1:30, but still, classrooms were never left unlocked when empty. For security reasons. "Nothing good?"

"He has a history of domestic assault. And one stalking accusation. It's not pretty." Hotch said. "I figured I'd give you a ride over there."

"That might not be a good idea." Emily admitted. "Cody has apparently led him to believe that you and I are more than just colleagues. I mentioned work and he wasn't happy."

"And I might be a trigger." Hotch nodded, understanding. "Still, if he sees you with someone, it could cause him to redirect his attentions."

"Or it could cause a rage." Emily said, grimly. She knew exactly how stalkers operated. "I'd appreciate the company. And someone to sit with Cody while I'm in the conference."

"Good, let's go." Hotch's tone was grim.

"Thanks, again. Have you opened your invitation yet?" Emily changed the subject. She motioned to the envelope in his hand.

"Yes. I'd love to go. I have Jack this evening, and I think he'd enjoy it." Hotch said, smiling at her as they moved to the elevators. He had a really nice smile, and Emily just wished she'd get to see it more often.

Maybe the man just needed more to smile about.

Emily could understand that.


	24. Chapter 24

(_Ok, this is getting ridiculous...I've written just as much on this story as I have my NOVEL!)_

PRENTISS'S FIND TWENTYFOUR

They arrived at the school fifteen minutes before Emily's appointment. The children hadn't been released yet, and parents were once again milling around the school entrance. Jason Collins was one of them.

"Great." Emily said, her words pitched so only her companion could hear. "Here we go."

Hotch surprised her by putting one hand on her lower back, pulling her just a little closer. It was as close as they'd ever been—when awake. His eyes were trained on the other man, though not in an obvious manner. The profiler was cataloging the man's smallest reaction. "Yes."

Hotch watched Collins and what he saw he didn't like. The man's eyes narrowed, glaring at the arm Hotch had around Emily. His whole body shouted rage to Hotch. The man snarled his lips at Emily, wordlessly conveying his anger at her actions.

Hotch felt her whole body tense. Felt her hand drop to where her weapon normally would rest. It was a clear indication of the threat she felt. "It's ok, Emily, let's just get inside."

Hotch had his own weapon under his pant leg. Just in case.

"Dammit, Hotch." She whispered. "I hate this. I am a damned law enforcement agent, and I am threatened picking my kid up from school? Where's the sense in that?"

"Haven't we been doing this job long enough to know that some things are just inherently random?" They were almost even with Collins now and Hotch's body tensed. It was a fight response, and one he recognized for what it was. His woman was being threatened, and the intrinsically primal part of him was reacting with adrenaline and the desire to physically confront the danger. Hotch held himself in check.

Collins stepped a little closer, moving to slightly block their path. He was closest to Hotch. "Emily, I was wondering when you'd arrive. Ready for the carnival this evening? You're still going, right?"

"_We're_ going." Hotch said, "Cody's really looking forward to it."

"So you're going , too, Agent Hotchner?" Collins tone lowered, he stepped forward. He now stood almost directly in Hotch's space. Hotch looked at him, as coldly as he could. It was a look that had intimidated many a suspect before.

"Of course. Now if you'll excuse us, Emily has an appointment with one of the vice principals." Hotch guided Emily around him. They both stopped when Collins' hand wrapped around her arm, the one closest to Hotch.

"I'll see you there." He said, the words low and full of promise.

Emily took a deep breath once they reached the inside of the school. "Well. That was worse than I thought."

"And he's already proven that he's not above just showing up at your place." Hotch said, knowing the signs. "I don't think you and Cody should stay alone tonight."

"Hotch, I'm fully trained. I'll keep my gun handy."

"And how will you explain it to Cody?" Hotch asked. "Seeing you carrying your gun around in your own home?"

Emily hadn't thought about that. "And how would I explain it if we suddenly had to go to a hotel? We both also know that most stalkers lose interest."

"And that percentage that doesn't? We don't need Reid here to give us those." Hotch said, as the bell rang and a swarm of children rushed out of the classrooms. "How about a compromise?"

"What kind?"

"I'll stay. Sleep on the couch again. I have my ankle holster. Cody won't have to see the weapon, but someone will still be there, armed, in the event he shows up." Hotch suggested. It was what he'd wanted all along. His main concern was their safety, and how could he ensure that if he wasn't there? "I've already slept over once, and she didn't seem too concerned."

"She asked if you were going to be my boyfriend because when a man sleeps over, it means boyfriend girlfriend." Emily admitted, a smile touching her lips. "I explained to her that we worked on paperwork and just fell asleep. She seemed to accept it."

"So she'll not a have a problem with me being there." Hotch would have paid good money to be there for _that _conversation. Especially since that was exactly the step he wanted from Emily. To begin with. "More importantly, you'll have backup in the case that it's needed."

"And tomorrow my mother and Dave are both coming for dinner." Emily said. "Cody's idea. Said if I got to have guests over, she wanted her grandmother this weekend. I thought that was fair."

"So you'll not be alone until what? About ten?" Hotch asked. "I could come over then."

"Hotch, I can't have you there _every _night. That would confuse Cody."

"Just until this guy gets the message." Hotch actually argued, knowing he was on shaky ground. "It's a viable alternative to living out of a hotel for a few weeks."

"This weekend only. I'll have to think about any more than that. Hell, Hotch we could be reading more into the situation then there is!"

"Possibly. But we both of seen the outcome of reading too little." He said, grimly. "There's Cody! Let's get her, get your conference over with, and get back to work. Don't forget, we're all combining our classes with Dave's this afternoon."

Emily's mind wasn't fully focused on the vice principal. The man motioned her to a chair in front of his desk, his eyes roving over her face. She wasn't blind to his apparent appreciation. "Ms. Prentiss. Welcome, thank you for seeing me."

"Please, it's Agent Prentiss." Sometimes her title was enough to back a man down. She just wanted to be prepared. "I'm afraid I don't have much time today. I'm on my lunch break, and my boss drove me over here. He's waiting with Cody."

"Of course. I understand." The man started. "I wanted to meet with you because Mrs. Smith, Cody's teacher, is slightly concerned about a few things."

"Oh? Has something happened?"

"No. Just a few things Mrs. Smith has noticed."

"And?" Emily mentally braced herself.

"Cody apparently is reluctant to leave the classroom. For breaks, lunch, classes outside Mrs. Smith's room. Even to go home. She checks out the window before exiting the building."

"Checking to see if I am there." Emily stated, sighing. "That's understandable for what she's been through. I went into this with the principal when I registered her. Cody is not my biological child, and she's had a rough time the last few months. You are aware she lived on the streets for four months before I found her, correct?"

"Uh, not really."

"You have read her file, I presume?" Emily had expected him to at least know where Cody was coming from. "Cody's father—my cousin—died nearly nine months ago. Cody was sent to live with her biological mother and the mother's boyfriend in California. They were severely abusive, and Cody slipped out and ran away. I happened to find her in St. Louis while working on a case. It was luck that I found her. I am in the process of gaining legal custody. Cody is naturally nervous, and is having severe nightmares regarding her biological mother's boyfriend. That's why she is reluctant to leave areas she perceives as safe. She _is _seeing a therapist, and has had two sessions. We are making some progress. What else has Mrs. Smith noticed?"

"It's been suggested that Cody is extremely leery of some of the male members of staff here. Including her math teacher, Mr. Alverez." The VP started.

"Let me guess, he's tall, dark-haired, and wears a suit?" Emily asked, not surprised when the tall, dark-haired, suited man in front of her nodded in surprise. "The biological mother's boyfriend fit that description and Cody is viscerally reacting to that particular image. I have taken steps to rectify that. My boss also fits the description and Cody feels comfortable with him. It'll just take time—and understanding. But I _do not _want Cody's experiences to become common knowledge. It is _her _wish that everyone thinks I am her biological mother, as well as legal. Normality is a big part of her recovery. And I do not want the school jeopardizing that."

"I can understand that, and everything is strictly kept in confidence here at Lenbrook Academy." The man said, and Emily sensed that he meant it. "There's just one more thing."

"Yes?"

"About Cody's Social Studies report? Here's the topic she's chosen." He handed her a photocopy, and she recognized the childish hand writing. Emily read it and laughed out loud.

"Agent Prentiss?" The man looked puzzled, and Emily couldn't resist sending him the full wattage of her smile. "Is it humorous that your daughter has an unusual fascination with serial killers?"

Emily laughed just a little bit harder. It took a few minutes for her to explain the situation. And she was seriously glad extracurricular activities started the following Monday. Seemed Cody Prentiss was spending a bit too much time at the BAU.


	25. Chapter 25

He'd asked her out. The vice principal of her daughter's school asked her out on a date after telling her that her child was morbidly fascinated with serial killers. Emily had, of course, told him no. He, unlike Jason Collins, seemed to understand her reason—focusing on Cody's emotional well-being. Still, Emily was contemplative when she exited the VP's office.

Her humor returned when she saw Cody and Hotch having an intense discussion while seated in the hard plastic chairs by the secretary's desk. Cody was nodding vigorously, taking her conversation very seriously. Hotch was listening intently, completely focused on the little girl. He was good with her, and she suspected he was one hell of a father to little Jack—whom they'd get to meet that evening. She'd not realized it at first, the way she had with Morgan, but Hotch was one of those genuine good guys. She smiled at the pair. "Ready to go?"

"Mom! So am I in trouble?"

"No. But we do need to discuss your topic for Social Studies this weekend." Emily's lips twitched again. The trio walked out to the waiting car, and Emily could sense how vigilant Hotch became once they stepped into the outside. Emily listened with half an ear to Cody's excited chatter, her own eyes peeled for Collins.

They didn't see him.

The rest of the day went as the ones before had. Cody chose to stay in the bullpen under the watchful eyes of Morgan. Emily took it as the good sign it was. The little girl had never voluntarily stayed with a man other than in the VP's office with Hotch. So two men in less than an hour. It gave Emily hope.

After her class took the three o'clock break they moved to a larger lecture hall four rooms down the corridor. Hotch and Dave's classes were already waiting. The female cadets all quickly found seats, as did the small crowd of agents and staff who'd arrived to hear the conclusion of the three BAU members lectures. Today's topic was going to be profiling as a team. Morgan, Reid, JJ, and Garcia held seats in the second row. Smack dab in the middle was a little girl with dark brown French braids. Emily smiled at her and waved. She noticed the notebook opened and turned to a fresh page. What on earth was the little girl—and the rest of the team up to? As Dave began the lecture she decided she'd just have to wait and see.

The lecture went well, Dave was charismatic, Emily was humorous, and Hotch was informative. They worked well together and no one missed it. Once it was over, Emily took charge of dismissing everyone and answering any questions from the lingerers. Then Cody ran up. "Hi Mommy, _let's_ go! We gotta hurry!"

"Alright, alright!" Emily laughed, as the last cadet left. He had been flirtatious, trying to charm the older woman. She'd humored him until the child interrupted. "Let's go to the bullpen and get our stuff!"

They and the rest of the team laughed at the little girl's squirming. They were all going to the carnival, and Emily half suspected Garcia of bribery and blackmail to accomplish it. She was just grateful.

The bullpen was almost empty, with just a few die-hard agents lingering. Five o'clock on Fridays usually cleared pretty quickly, with the exception of Hotch's team. Emily had no trouble seeing to her desk, and the dark-haired woman sitting on it.

Cody saw her, too. "Grandma Beth! You made it! I knew you would!"

Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss was dressed in casual clothing. Emily couldn't recall the last time she'd seen her mother wearing jeans. She had to admit, the clothes made her mother look considerably younger than her fifty-four years. Too young to be the mother of a thirty-six year old woman, that's for sure. But the Ambassador had been married young, the daughter of a wealthy businessman married off to the slightly older son of a business partner. It was only in her mid-twenties that Elizabeth had realized her own dreams. Emily had been slightly pushed aside, but she was long past that. Still, things had always been a little strained. But they were getting better, finally.

Cody ran to her grandmother and hugged her, her excitement visible for all to see.

"Of course, I made it! It's my first official Grandma Outing. Where else would I be?" The ambassador said in her slightly husky voice. "Now, tell me what all I've missed this week. Anything good happen?"

"Mom had to go to the principal's office today." Cody confided. "And Mr. Hotch came for dinner Wednesday, and Mr. Dave's coming tomorrow night. And next week we're inviting Aunt Penelope and Aunt JJ. And Ryan Collins' dad got mad about Mr. Hotch coming over and yelled at Ryan's dog. He _came _to our house. Mom was mad. I'm going to sign up for swimming, and dance, and probably softball tonight, but I don't know yet. Mom says we have to check the itinerary. And I picked my topic for Social Studies but Mom said we needed to talk about it. I'm not sure why, it's a good topic."

The ambassador nodded, though everyone could see she was struggling to keep up. Emily just laughed. "Slow down, Cody. The ambassador only has two ears."

The little girl took a deep breath, and scrunched up her face the way everyone had seen Emily do. "Grandma, _you're _still gonna be here for dinner tomorrow night, right? I'm making macaroni and cheese. Mr. Hotch liked it."

"Of course, and if you're mother is willing, I thought the three of us might check out the zoo in the morning."

"Could we?" Cody asked. "I do like the zoo. Especially the tigers. My dad took me once. When I was littler."

"Of course." Emily said.

Hotch listened to the little girl's words with a small smile on his face, amused by how she'd jumbled everything up into practically in one breath. It was good to see that childish excitement. Emily was definitely the best thing for the little girl. And Emily was more relaxed around her mother than ever before, too. Good changes were hitting the Prentiss family. Hopefully he and Jack could be one of them.

Speaking of Jack, he looked at his watch. Hayley was supposed to be bringing the little boy to the BAU. He'd drop him off after the carnival and on his way to Emily's place. He'd insisted on driving her and Cody. Just as a safety precaution. As if by magic, the elevator opened and revealed his ex-wife. His little boy walked at her side. "Daddy!"

Hotch moved forward instinctively, catching the little boy's mad dash across the bullpen. "Hey, it's Jack-jack Incredible!"

"I missed you, Daddy. I missed you!" The little arms wrapped around his neck and Hotch's eyes closed, squeezing him slightly. He wore a green polo, similar to the one Hotch had brought and changed into. Hotch's was red. His hair was nowhere near as dark as his father's, but it would be someday. The rest of him was all Aaron.

Hayley hadn't spoken, just handed him Jack's bag. The boy was still potty-training at age three and it would take a few more months at least before his body could handle it. Hotch knew his ex was feeling uncomfortable surrounded by Hotch's territory and his people. "Hayley. Thanks for meeting me here."

"He's excited." Was all she said. "What time will you have him home?"

"Around eleven. If he's asleep I'll just carry him in. The carnival starts at seven, but I'm sure it doesn't run too late." He looked at Emily for confirmation. She and Cody were obviously on the way to the restrooms to change into more casual wear. Emily nodded, a polite smile on her face as she looked at the three of them.

"Hours are from seven to ten-thirty. But I doubt we'll be staying that long. Cody usually wears down around ten, if not earlier."

"I didn't know you had a daughter, Agent Prentiss." Hayley said, after smiling politely at the woman she'd met a few times.

"Cody is in the process of being adopted. Her father was a relative who died recently." Emily said, being pulled slightly away from the group by the little girl tugging at her hand. "It was nice to see you again, but apparently, _somebody's _in a bit of a hurry."

"We'll be ready soon, Mr. Hotch! Maybe you and Mr. Dave better go get the car's ready!" Cody said, tugging more insistently.

"Jack, wave bye-bye to Mommy!" Hotch told the excited little boy who was making airplane noises near his daddy's ear. "Let's get this show on the road!"

He smiled at Emily, an expression his ex-wife didn't miss. Hotch saw her eyes narrow, and he raised a brow in her direction, almost daring her to comment. "Hayley, we'll see you later."

(_Alright, Kavi, when I said you could go to the carnival with this chapter, I lied…my characters weren't quite ready to go yet…but the next one is the big whohaw!)_


	26. Chapter 26

The gym was packed. Emily was just thankful the carnival was just for the lower grades. If the high school had been present it would have been horrible. They'd taken four cars—ten people and four cars. Emily couldn't figure that one out. But she and Cody had ridden with the Hotchners and the little boy had kept up a running, if somewhat garbled, conversation with the little girl beside him.

Cody hadn't really been around little kids, so Emily watched her for a bit. She seemed fascinated by Jack, instead of put off like some kids would be. Hotch hadn't said much, but Emily could easily sense that he was more relaxed than usual. Just like he had been when having dinner Wednesday.

Cody clung to her hand as the group entered the gym, big crowds made the little girl slightly nervous. Emily understood it—the more people, the bigger the threat. The bigger the risk they'd get separated. "Cody, honey. Put my cell in your pocket. If we get separated, you can call Mr. Hotch or Mr. Dave or anybody else on the list, ok?"

Cody nodded, her little face relaxing once she knew she had that security blanket. "What are we gonna do first?"

"How about we find something to eat?" JJ asked hopefully, rubbing the bump exaggeratedly, "Bump is _hungry!"_

Everybody laughed, including the two kids who didn't really understand, and agreed. Emily's mother and Dave led the way to what appeared to be several food stands. Emily's eyes narrowed on her mother's face as the older woman smiled at the older profiler. There was a definite hint of interest, and it didn't take a profiler to see it. And _Dave _was looking back.

She turned toward the man on her left. "Hotch?"

"Hmm?" He leaned down, one hand still anchored around his son's bottom. The little boy's hands were clapping in a sort of match for the bright music flowing overhead. The boy was ready! "What is it?"

"Dave isn't about to flirt with my mother, right in front of me, is he?" Her lips quirked at the humorous slant the evening was about to take.

"Ahh." Hotch paused a moment to run a profiler eye over the two eldest members of their group. "I think so."

"Ugh. Weird." Emily snickered, then looked at Cody. The little girl was restless. "Cody, what do you want to eat?"

"Pizza. They said at school there would be pizza!"

"Yummy." JJ chimed in again. "Pizza sounds great! But so does nachos, chili dogs, cotton candy, candied apples…"

"Trust me, Agent Jareau, you really don't want all that tonight." The ambassador laughed. "You'll pay for it later. With me it was always jalapeños. _She _still eats them like candy."

They ate quickly, the two children demanded it. Jack settled between Emily and Hotch, then stood on the bench of the picnic table itself, marching between the two adults. "Go! Go! Go!"

Emily smiled at his dad. "Is he always this excitable?"

"Oh yes." Hotch's smile was the most genuine she'd ever seen, lighting up his dark eyes and sending the dimples flashing deeply. She was struck by the latent attractiveness of his laughter. "Sometimes worse!"

"Mom, are you about done?" Cody asked. "I want to try the games. And Tanesha said there would be rides. Just little ones, but still…"

"Hang on. We're just about done. Why don't you decide what you want to do first?" Emily said, wiping her hands with a napkin and turning to the rest of the group. "So are we going to do this as one giant group or are we splitting up?"

"Splitting up." Garcia declared. "I saw some awesome video game booths near the entrance. Who's with me? JJ, you'll do!"

"Only if I get cotton candy and soon." The slightly younger blonde said. She eyed the French fries still on Reid's plate with clear intent. Nobody was surprised when she stole one—except maybe Reid. Hotch smiled at the exchange.

"Reid and I will go check out the offerings." Derek declared. No one—except Reid—misunderstood. He wasn't checking out the games, he was checking out the single mothers. And dragging poor Reid along with him. Hotch thought it would be good for the young genius.

"I'd like to view some of the exhibits in the hallways." Dave said, "Ambassador, would you like to accompany me?"

The ambassador just nodded. Hotch glanced at Emily when she snorted softly beside him. He was glad she seemed ok with the exchange between her mother and her colleague.

"I want rides!" Cody declared, impatient, looking at her mother pleadingly. "Please?"

"Of course. This is your night, kiddo. But don't' forget we have to check out the activity displays, too. Hotch? Think Jack wants to check out the rides?" Emily's eyes were bright as she smiled at his son and Hotch felt a smile touching his own lips. The little boy must have thought her idea sounded good. He stepped closer to her and wrapped his little arms around her neck.

"Ride. Ride. Ride. Ride. Com'n Daddy, let's go ride!" He squealed right in her ear. She just laughed, and he was struck again by how comfortable she was with children. She was one hell of a mother and he admired her for that. It wasn't easy being a good parent in their line of work. In the two weeks she'd been doing it, she really impressed him.

Soon it was just him and her, and the two children. Just like he'd fantasized about on the plane ride back from Seattle. "So where first?"

"I saw bumper cars." Emily suggested. "I'm sure Cody wouldn't mind sharing a car with Jack."

"Sure! But I get to drive!" The little girl said, one hand rising to pat the little boy's back where he rode on Emily's hip. He'd yet to let go of her after wrapping his arms around her neck. It was as if he thought _she _was his ticket to the rides.

"Let Jack help you, ok?" Emily instructed, bouncing the little boy. Hotch looked at her, then. Jack's hair was lighter than Emily's but his eyes were equally as dark. He looked entirely comfortable on the woman's hip, and with Cody standing slightly in front of them, they looked like they belonged together. Hotch could definitely get used to the idea of it. He took Emily's hand, not wanting to lose his group in the milling crowd. She didn't pull away, her smaller hand tightened around his. Her other arm rested behind Jack's back as she carried him. Cody walked slightly in front of Hotch guiding the way through the crowd. Hotch's free hand rested on the little girl's shoulder as they walked. He was intrinsically pleased at the way _they _were all joined. Connected, as one unit, for anybody and everybody to see. _They _were together.

They found the bumper cars, and the line for it. It took a while for their turn, but when it was time, Cody led the little boy to a bright blue car. They climbed in and Hotch and Emily both watched them as Cody carefully fastened the seatbelts around the little boy and herself. Cody seemed pleased with the responsibility of the child and Emily smiled. "She's having a good night already."

"So's he." Hotch laughed aloud as he watched Jack and Cody bump into another car. His son's driving skills would definitely need work in about a dozen years, but the grins on two childish faces were priceless. His shoulder bumped Emily's, then rested there against her. She didn't pull away. "So am I."

She laughed again, her eyes trained on the children. She had a pretty laugh and if he was honest with himself, it turned him on to see her eyes sparkling, and her mouth smiling. She was alive, bright, and passionate—everything a woman should be. And he wanted to taste that passion.

He took a bold step forward in his plan, and dropped an arm around her waist.

(_stay tuned for more carnival goodness sometime this evening—maybe…)_


	27. Chapter 27

PRENTISS'S FIND TWENTY SEVEN

Emily felt his hand wrap around her waist, and she would have had to be a complete idiot not to recognize that there was something _more _in his touch than just supervisor/subordinate or friend/friend.

She actually fought the urge to tremble, fought a basic thrill of excitement. Dammit, this was _Hotch! _Hotch didn't go around touching his subordinates like that—if she discounted waking with his hand in her pants.

But it didn't take a profiler to see, to _feel, _the awareness in his body, or the intent with which he moved just a little bit closer.

The hand at her waist was all he did. Just a silent signal to her that he wasn't completely platonic any more. That it was her turn now. She would have to make the next volley over the net. Emily moved just a little bit closer. It was a simple move, but one neither missed—or misunderstood. Emily watched the quick heat that flared in his eyes.

No, it was suddenly unmistakable. Hotch was interested. And letting her know.

"Well." Ambassador Prentiss said, from her spot beside Dave. "Is that new?"

Dave looked in the direction she nodded. They were on the opposite side of the bumper cars, having stopped to watch the children's ride as well. The dark-headed couple opposite them were hard to miss. Hotch stood behind Emily, his hand just visible curving around her waist. Her face was hesitant, his intent, as he looked down at her. They looked like just about any other couple in the place, and Dave wondered if Hotch knew it. "Pretty much. Last week or so."

"And what does Emily think of it?" The ambassador's thoughts were first and foremost for her daughter and Cody.

"I'm not sure Emily was aware of it, until now." Dave said. "I confronted him about it last week. Seemed to come to a surprise to him, as well. For a profiler, Aaron can be a bit clueless when it comes to his own behaviors."

"Agent Rossi, men always are—regardless of whether they're profilers or not." The ambassador laughed, a sound that reminded Dave of her daughter's.

"Please, it's Dave."

"Elizabeth. You can call me Elizabeth, _Dave." _The ambassador smiled, just a little flirtatiously. "So Dave, about my daughter. Is this a good thing, you think?"

"A very good thing."

Hotch was elated. She hadn't shook his hand off, had actually moved even closer to him. His other hand rose to her shoulder and he rested it there deliberately. When she still didn't move away, he pulled her back to rest against his chest. The smell of her hair filled his lungs. "You ok?"

She didn't take her eyes off the children. "Hmm. Yes."

"Good." Hotch knew it was far enough. He didn't want to push too much. So he stood quietly, watching the rest of the ride.

Cody helped lift the little boy out of the bumper car, her actions raising his shirt slightly. But the little girl fixed it, her attitude motherly. Hotch smiled. Cody grabbed Jack's hand and carefully led him to the exit of the ride and then both children hurried to them.

"Daddy, me dwived." Jack squealed. Hotch swung him into his arms as Cody moved closer to her mother. Emily ruffled the dark brown hair. Cody had wanted her hair down for the evening, and with it being confined in the braids all day, the dark locks waved prettily. She was a beautiful little girl, and if she continued looking like Emily, she would one day be a beautiful woman. A beautiful teenager. Hotch couldn't wait to see how Emily handled that.

"Did you?" Hotch asked Jack. "That was wonderful. Cody, what next?"

"There's a carrousel over there, and a big slide by the girl's locker room." Cody said. "I want to do them both, then can we play some games?"

"Sounds like a plan, but why don't we go sign you up for activities before all the spots fill up?" Emily suggested. "You definitely want to get what you're interested in, remember?"

"Ok. Then can we slide?"

"Then we can slide." Her mother nodded. "Well, _you _can slide. Not me."

"Afraid of heights?"

"No. Static. Every time I've ever rode one of those huge plastic slides—even though this one's not really that big—my hair stands out to here, and I shock myself for the rest of the night. Apparently, I am highly conducive to static electricity. But don't tell Reid, he'll tell me it's all in my head." Emily told him, and he laughed.

"I'll slide. I'm not comfortable with Jack climbing without me. _I _am leery of heights." He admitted.

"I know. I've noticed. It's not stopped you, though."

"Not when it's part of the job." He said, this time he carried Jack through the crowd, but he kept his fingers laced with hers. The little girl walked somewhat between them, her body occasionally bumping their linked hands.

The activities displays were more exhibits lining the top of the gymnasium. They walked around a bit, looking at all the available offerings. After seeing the choices, Hotch once again realized that money could pave the way for a lot of things. And this school came with a probably hefty price tag.

Cody got her place on the swimming club. Hotch grabbed one of the brochures, reading it quickly. If the little girl was good enough she'd earn a spot on the junior high swim team and be allowed to compete. Hotch had always loved swimming. Loved the feeling of being free yet in control that he got from the water. In fact, frequently did laps in hotel pools during cases when he just needed time to think. It was his secret.

Emily also signed Cody up for gymnastics and dance. The two were linked, and practiced three days a week. Swimming just happened to fall on the other two. Cody would be at practice until six each evening. Then would wait at the gym, supervised, until Emily could arrive for pickups. It was an acceptable form of childcare for all involved. And it would get the little girl out of the BAU and give the girl several choices for outlets. She didn't get a spot on the baseball signup sheet, but she didn't seem to mind. She was more than ready for Tuesday's swim practice though. Both Hotch and Emily could see it.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Emily and JJ dueled through several marksmen games. When they were done it was the men's turn. Hotch and Morgan were neck and neck and eventually called it a grand tie. Several stuffed animals had been won and traded between the entire group.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around Cody was exhausted. She clung to Emily's hand and her tone had turned quite petulant. Nobody paid it any mind. Jack was already out, his dark hair mingling with the dark strands of the woman who carried him. As the night had progressed, it became quite apparent that little Jack Hotchner was quite simply fascinated with 'M-we.'

Emily's plans had changed. The ambassador had offered to take Cody to the hotel where she was staying, and the two of _them _were going to the zoo. Emily had been _un_invited. The ambassador claimed Emily needed some Emily time. Emily wasn't too sure how she felt about that. But things became a little clearer when it became known that _Dave _was taking Emily's place. Then Emily didn't mind at all. Not that she thought anything would come of it, but still…it was nice for both the ambassador and Dave to get out of their respective houses once in a while.

Still, the group that trundled across the school parking lot was much more subdued than they were a few hours earlier. Cody climbed into the car with Dave and the ambassador, backpack and ready bag at her feet. Hotch had driven Emily's sedan, it had the bigger backseat for the children, so the little girl's things were thankfully already in trunk. Emily had kissed her little girl on the forehead, told her to be good. Then Dave pulled out of the parking lot. The rest of the team had split into two cars, Morgan to drop off Reid on his way home, JJ and Garcia heading back toward the tech's apartment for a girl sleepover. Soon it was just Hotch and Emily and a sleeping Jack.

Then it occurred to Emily that after they dropped off the little boy, she would be all alone in her apartment—with Hotch.


	28. Chapter 28

Hotch was inexplicably nervous as he maneuvered Emily's car down the street to his ex's new house. Jack was sound asleep in his car seat, and Emily sat quietly in the passenger seat.

What he wanted was to go back to her place, strip those jeans and t-shirt off of her and see just exactly what she wore under them. Wanted to spend the suddenly kid-free hours burning up the minutes one soft inch of her skin at a time.

But Hotch knew better than to even attempt it. It was too soon. Neither one of them were ready for that—especially her.

"I had a great time." He said, as they took the last turn to Hayley's block. "Thank you, and thank Cody, for inviting us."

"Thank you for coming." Emily replied. "It meant a lot to Cody to have everyone there."

"She's made remarkable progress, Emily."

"I know. I just hope she continues in this way. To tell you the truth, I'm dreading the next out of town case. But if she does well with my mother tonight, it won't be so bad."

"Time, again?" He asked. The question was rhetorical, and referred to their earlier conversation about time being all they could do.

"It's hard." Emily said.

"Yes. But don't forget you're not alone." Hotch held his hand out to her and was thrilled when she wrapped hers around his.

"Thank you."

They were silent as he pulled into the driveway. Hotch pulled Jack from the car, snuggling him into his chest. The little boy's eyes opened and he smiled, sleepily. "Bye M-we."

"Bye Jack-Jack." Emily waved at him through the opened window.

Hotch smiled at them both before carrying the little boy up the porch steps. Hayley met him at the door. "Did he have a good time?"

"Me pwayed with M-we and Co-dee." Jack said, from his daddy's shoulder. "Fun, fun, fun."

"Wow." Hayley said, taking the little boy from Hotch. "Now you ready for bedtime?"

"Yep." Jack yawned. "Daddy going to go pway with M-we."

"M-we?" Hayley looked at Hotch for clarification.

"Emily, Agent Prentiss. I'm giving her a ride home." Hotch said, stomach tightening knowing he wouldn't see the little boy for another week. "I should be going, she's waiting. Jack-jack, Daddy loves you. And I'll see you next week, ok?"

"Actually—I have to go out of town Sunday morning. I was wondering if you could keep him until Monday? I can pick him up at the BAU if it's more convenient."

"Of course." Hotch would never turn down a day with Jack. Not if he could help it. "What time Sunday?"

"Eight would be good. Should I bring him by your place?"

"Let me get back to you on that." Hotch said, remembering that he was supposed to be staying with Emily just in case Collins came around. "It might be better for me to pick him up. Jack, Daddy has to go take Emily home now, ok."

"Bye Daddy. I love you."

Hotch was contemplative as he climbed back into the driver's seat of Emily's car, and Emily must have seen it on his face.

"Everything ok?" She asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

"It's just hard." He said, flatly. "But I'm getting him Sunday morning."

"That's good."

That was all that was said. They spent the rest of the drive to Emily's apartment in silence. He handed the car keys to the parking valet, once more struck by the inherent expensiveness of her lifestyle. She couldn't afford to live this way on a BAU salary. Still, he'd met the ambassador, had done security clearance for her years ago. She'd lived well then, too. "Emily?"

"Yes?" She asked, as she unlocked her apartment door.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you afford this place?"

"Hmm. Present from my grandfather. Prentiss Industries, out of Maryland." Emily said. "Said he wanted me safe. With a good view."

"It is definitely that." Hotch said, moving toward the window. The Capitol shown beautifully in the distance. "Security tight in this building?"

"Hmm. Not really." Emily admitted. "Parking is valet. But like you've found out before, anyone can just walk in. We can _bar _people from the building, but it's still difficult to enforce. We just have the one security guard downstairs."

She moved around him, picking a stack of books and papers off the end of the couch and setting them on the stairs to be carried up to Cody's room later. She fluttered around the apartment, putting things back to where they belonged quicker than he could follow. He knew she had obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and it made him smile. "Emily, sit down and relax a minute."

"What? Oh. Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure. Decaff, if you have it." He smiled, realizing that he wasn't the only one who felt the awkwardness of their situation. Had they ever been alone together outside of a professional capacity? Hotch couldn't remember if they had.

A few minutes later they were sitting at the bar when her phone rang. He listened while she talked to the little girl, wished her good night. Smiled when she told Cody that she loved her, too. "Everything ok?"

"Just getting ready for bed. Seems _Grandpa Dave _took them both for ice cream after they left the school." Emily smiled at him, then they both laughed.

"She really wants a traditional family, doesn't she?" He asked softly.

"Yes. She's never had that." Emily admitted. "Her mother left when she was in pre-school. Not that she had much to do with her, anyway. Jon, her father, took care of her. When Gloria left, Jon hired a nanny. He was a busy man. The Industries kept him away from home a lot. I'd keep her most every weekend that I could. Then he transferred this way. My grandfather was getting on in years. And Jon's father died—heart attack just out of the blue, so Jon took over at headquarters. Six months later my transfer to the BAU came through. I moved as close to Cody and Jon as I could get, and my grandfather thought this was a good place. Cody would stay with me on the weekends when I was in town, Hotch. Then her father died. And she was gone. You know the rest. She's always felt the lack of the big family. She'd see my grandfather, my mother, and her grandfather maybe twice, three times a year. So it was essentially just me and Jon."

"And now she's surrounding herself with the team, slipping everyone into somewhat appropriate roles." Hotch said. "Aunt Pen, Aunt JJ, Grandpa Dave."

"Yes." Emily smiled. "You all have been wonderful. Especially you. I know she's not supposed to be there everyday. But you've never said anything, and I appreciate it."

"Well, Tuesday, she'll start extra-curricular activities. And it wasn't as if she caused any trouble." He sat his coffee down before leaning toward her slightly. "And you have to know, I'd help you however I could, sweetheart."

The endearment rolled off his tongue before he'd even realized it, but she didn't comment. His hand rose, brushing the dark hair from where it had fallen on her cheek. Then his hand dropped to her upper arm and he moved to pull her closer. She didn't resist, although her eyes widened. He moved slow, not wanting to turn her suddenly skittish. He knew what he as about to do was completely out of his character—as far as she knew it, anyway.

Kissing a beautiful woman had always been a part of Hotch's character. He'd done everything he could years ago to get Hayley—and hadn't he succeeded?

Now he wanted Emily. His lips brushed against hers softly. Then again. She still didn't pull away. Or close her eyes. He was struck by the desire and the curiosity in her dark gaze. It was obvious they were both aware of what they were doing. He pressed his lips against hers a little more firmly. Her lips parted.

And then the phone rang.


	29. Chapter 29

Hotch actually cursed as he pulled back, and Emily's lips quirked at the humor of the situation. Her boss was actually outwardly irritated that he was interrupted while trying to kiss her. Could things get any more out of whack than that? She didn't think so.

She grabbed the phone—the home phone, not cell, and answered quickly. "Hello?"

No one answered. She repeated the greeting, then waited a moment before returning the phone to the receiver. "Must have been a wrong number."

"Just in case, we'll have Garcia run it later." Hotch said, ever aware of the reason he was at her place.

"Is that really necessary? I'm probably just overreacting."

"We both know the percentages. But I'm not taking chances. Neither should you." Hotch told her bluntly, as they both moved to the couch. Emily grabbed the stereo remote and soon had soft music playing in the background.

"But Hotch, I'm also a trained agent. I have my weapon, I don't open the door without looking who's on the other side. And I'm eight stories up." Emily appreciated his concern but she was a grown woman, capable of taking care of herself. But if she admitted it, at least to herself, it was nice to have his reassuring presence there with her. The place seemed too empty without the little girl. And having a relaxed Hotch near her was remarkably pleasant.

"Still, I'm not taking any chances." He deliberately pulled her to rest against his chest. She felt the steady beating of his heart against her back. Her head found a spot on his strong shoulder and she felt herself relaxing with him in a way they never had before. She felt just as comfortable with him then as she had Wednesday when they'd been working on consults. No wonder she had fallen asleep with him so easily.

"This will all blow over in a couple of days." Emily predicted, as she felt him begin to run his fingers through her hair. Had she ever noticed how _tactile_ the man was? His hands hadn't stopped touching her since they'd sat at the bar. She wondered briefly if _he _was even aware of it. He'd done it at the carnival, too. And she'd been hyper-aware of the feel of his warm hand holding hers, of him caressing her back, her shoulder, occasionally. "I didn't even see him at the carnival, did you?"

"Yes. While you and Cody were in the restroom. He and his son were in the men's." Hotch said. "I didn't have a chance to mention it when we came out."

"Because of the slides?" Emily smiled, remembering how excited the kids had been seeing the big yellow slides. Cody'd immediately pulled them straight to the line. "What happened, anything?"

"He ignored me, stared at Jack." Hotch said, dropping his arm around her stomach, tightening, pulling her even closer as his body turned into the corner of the couch. "Then Jack and I left."

"But nothing happened? What about his demeanor?"

"He wasn't happy to see us there, Emily." Hotch told her, though he wanted to _stop _talking about the other man. He wanted her focus completely on _him. _At least for the next little while. He wouldn't push her, wouldn't rush her, but dammit, he wanted her. "You have to be careful. Even an agent can be a target, a victim."

"Yes. I will. I'll watch my surroundings. Not go anywhere alone."

"And call me—or Dave or Derek—if anything seems _off. _Understand?" Hotch dropped a kiss to her hair, then paused to breathe in the scent of woman, of _Emily. _

"Of course. I'm not crazy."

"Just stubborn, and independent." He smiled to himself at the indignation he'd heard in her voice. But she wasn't fighting his embrace, was letting his hand run up and down her arm, letting the fingers of his other hand splay over her stomach. He was highly conscious of what rested _above _those fingers. His hand itched to touch. But he knew better. She wasn't ready for that.

"You've met my mother—can you honestly expect any different from me?" She laughed lightly, and he felt the movement against him. "Hotch?"

"Hmm?"

"Does it _ever _seem less quiet when they're gone?"

"No. Sometimes, I swear I can hear him laugh. But when I turn around I realize he's with Hayley and not me." Hotch had never spoken so freely about how he felt with any member of his team. Especially her.

"I didn't know I could love her any more than I did." Emily admitted to him. He turned slightly, pulling her where he could see her face a little better. "But these last few weeks—she's mine. And I love her more and more every day."

"Yes. And she loves you. Idolizes you."

"Hero worships the rest of the team, too." Emily laughed. "Especially Aunt Penelope. And Mr. Brown Sugar."

"What?"

"Garcia's nickname for Morgan. Apparently Cody thinks he's hot."

"You serious?" Hotch laughed, "I don't know if that's good or bad."

"I know. But she hasn't exhibited any signs of having a crush on anyone at school. Yet. But it's healthy, right? That she's starting to notice?"

"Yes. I think it is. Does Morgan know?" Hotch snickered, thinking of the team's ladies man.

"I'm not sure." Emily smiled up at him, her eyes starting to droop. He didn't miss the tiredness written on her pretty face.

"Where do Reid and I fit into this? In Cody's mind, of course."

"Well, I'm not too sure how she sees Reid, but apparently, you are Superman. Something Garcia put in her head. And she questioned whether you were going to be my boyfriend. So I'm not too sure where she thinks you fit in." Emily said, around a yawn.

"So a cross between your boyfriend and Superman. Odd." Hotch laughed, while silently thinking that didn't sound half bad. He'd prefer the term _lover _to that of _boyfriend. _But that was adult-only terminology, and not one the twelve year old needed to hear. "Are you falling asleep on me?"

"I'm sorry. It's been a hectic two weeks." She apologized, her body tensing slightly under his hands.

"Hey, I wasn't complaining. Not that it's the first time we've slept on this couch."

"True. There's a spare room upstairs if you're tired. Two of them, actually."

"This place has _four_ bedrooms?" Hotch knew the surprise was evident in his voice. The place hadn't seemed that big from the downstairs. "Nice. And I'm quite content right exactly where I am at, sweetheart."

"Hmmm. I like you here, too. It's different. But nice. And it's five. I had the dining room converted to a small office. It's door is just under the stairs there. And I have Cody's room, a guest room, and a library, as well as mine upstairs. I have a lot of books." Emily said, voice trailing off as her eyes closed completely.

Hotch loved watching her sleep. She always fell asleep with the ease of a child—which was odd in their line of work. He held her there against his chest for a while, just watching her and thinking. Funny, how a man's life could change in only two weeks' time.

There he was, half lying on the couch of the woman he'd never wanted on his team in the first place, holding her, _wanting _her. And she'd trusted him. To hold her, to be near her. To help her, protect her.

He knew that was something she'd not done lightly. Emily was as closed off as he was, letting someone in was doubly hard for people like them. But they had grown to trust each other, to understand each other, to comfort each other.

No matter what happened, they'd found more in common than they'd ever expected to find. No matter what the next day brought, they'd found each other.

Hotch was more than happy with his find.

Now if he could just make her as happy.

He was so looking forward to trying.

(_Ok, so I was so totally NOT planning on finishing this story this way. But all good things must end, and this is no exception. This fic was more the finding of Cody and the realizing of both Hotch and Emily that their feelings for each other _could _be something more than superior/subordinate. But fear not! The sequel is already floating around in my head….after all….whatever happened to Jason Collins? So watch for Hotch's Find coming up in the next few days…provided my power comes back on and I can recharge my laptop….)_


End file.
